Several components’ post-process steps may allow arbitrary file leaks in Gradio

Vulnerability

Analysis

CVE-2024-47868 is a data validation vulnerability in the open-source Python package Gradio, which is used for rapidly prototyping machine learning applications. The vulnerability stems from a lack of proper input validation during the post-processing step of several components that handle file data [1][4]. Specifically, these components convert user-supplied strings, complex data, or dictionary values into FileData objects without verifying that the supplied file path is within an allowed set. This allows an attacker to bypass expected constraints, such as values from a Dropdown list, and provide an arbitrary file path like /etc/passwd [1][4].

Exploitation

Exploitation is straightforward and does not require authentication if the application is publicly accessible. An attacker can craft a request to a vulnerable component—such as DownloadButton, ImageEditor, File, ParamViewer, or Dataset—and include a path to a sensitive file on the server [1][4]. The component then processes this path and returns the file contents to the attacker. The advisory explicitly outlines two exploit scenarios: manipulating a DownloadButton that receives its value from a Dropdown list, and crafting a malicious payload in a ParamViewer component [1][4].

Impact

The impact is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive files from the server's filesystem. An attacker could leak configuration files, source code, credentials, or other data, potentially leading to further compromise of the application or its environment [1]. The vulnerability is amplified when combined with other issues, such as TOB-GRADIO-15 [1].

Mitigation

The issue has been patched in gradio>5.0. Users are strongly advised to upgrade to the latest version of the package [1][4]. As of the advisory, there are no known workarounds for this vulnerability [1][4].