CVE-2023-23930: vantage6 - Insecure Default Serialization
Summary
CVE-2023-23930: vantage6 is privacy preserving federated learning infrastructure. Affects vantage6 across 2 version ranges.
< 4.0.2
< e62f03bacf2247bd59eed217e2e7338c3a01a5f0
Fixed in e62f03bacf2247bd59eed217e2e7338c3a01a5f0. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
vantage6 is a privacy-preserving federated learning infrastructure that enables collaborative machine learning across multiple organizations. It provides a framework for securely sharing and analyzing data while preserving privacy. The package is available on PyPI and can be installed using pip. Versions prior to 4.0.0 of vantage6 utilize pickle as the default serialization module, which is known to have security issues.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability (CVE-2023-23930) in vantage6 arises from the use of pickle as the default serialization module. Pickle is susceptible to deserialization attacks, which can lead to remote code execution and other security breaches. This vulnerability affects all users of vantage6 who post tasks with the default serialization. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the target system, compromise data privacy, and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
How To Fix
Latest published version: 5.0.3 as of 22 Oct 2026
pip install --upgrade "vantage6==5.0.3"Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the version below is the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you need the minimum change
e62f03bacf2247bd59eed217e2e7338c3a01a5f0
This is the first release that contains the fix.
pip install --upgrade "vantage6==e62f03bacf2247bd59eed217e2e7338c3a01a5f0"Tip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, users may specify JSON serialization instead of the default serialization. This can be achieved by modifying the code that posts tasks in vantage6. Instead of using the default serialization, users can explicitly choose JSON serialization. Here is an example of how to specify JSON serialization:
import json
# Serialize data using JSON
serialized_data = json.dumps(data)
# Post task with JSON serialization
vantage6.post_task(serialized_data, serialization='json')
Conclusion
In conclusion, the use of pickle as the default serialization module in vantage6 versions prior to 4.0.0 poses a security risk due to known vulnerabilities. Upgrading to version 4.0.0 or later is recommended to mitigate this vulnerability. Users can also specify JSON serialization as a temporary workaround. For further assistance and support in addressing this vulnerability, please contact DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for vantage6 →
FAQ
vantage6 is a privacy-preserving federated learning infrastructure that enables collaborative machine learning across multiple organizations. It provides a framework for securely sharing and analyzing data while preserving privacy.
Versions prior to 4.0.0 of vantage6 are affected by this vulnerability. Users of these versions who post tasks with the default serialization are at risk.
This vulnerability can lead to remote code execution, compromising data privacy, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the target system.
To fix this vulnerability, it is recommended to upgrade to vantage6 version 4.0.0 or later. Version 4.0.0 contains a patch that addresses the security issue.
Yes, as a temporary workaround, users can specify JSON serialization instead of the default serialization. This can be done by modifying the code that posts tasks in vantage6.
References
Related vulnerabilities
Recent vulnerabilities recorded for vantage6.
