Keras up to 3.11.3 keras.utils.get_file path traversal

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Keras up to 3.11.3. It has been classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function keras.utils.get_file. This manipulation causes path traversal. This vulnerability is handled as CVE-2025-12638. The attack can be initiated remotely. There is not any exploit available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Keras up to 3.11.3 and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function keras.utils.get_file. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a path traversal vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-22. The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

Keras version 3.11.3 is affected by a path traversal vulnerability in the keras.utils.get_file() function when extracting tar archives. The vulnerability arises because the function uses Python's tarfile.extractall() method without the security-critical filter='data' parameter. Although Keras attempts to filter unsafe paths using filter_safe_paths(), this filtering occurs before extraction, and a PATH_MAX symlink resolution bug triggers during extraction. This bug causes symlink resolution to fail due to path length limits, resulting in a security bypass that allows files to be written outside the intended extraction directory. This can lead to arbitrary file writes outside the cache directory, enabling potential system compromise or malicious code execution. The vulnerability affects Keras installations that process tar archives with get_file() and does not affect versions where this extraction method is secured with the appropriate filter parameter.

It is possible to read the advisory at huntr.com. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2025-12638 since 11/03/2025. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be launched remotely. It demands that the victim is doing some kind of user interaction. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 12/02/2025). The attack technique deployed by this issue is T1006 according to MITRE ATT&CK.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 276959 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2025-12638), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (276959) and EUVD (EUVD-2025-199871). Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Name

• Keras

Version

• 3.11.0
• 3.11.1
• 3.11.2
• 3.11.3

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Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

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