CVE-2024-8859: Mlflow Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4rqf-8pfm-p36r
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-29 CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-8859 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-29: Path Traversal: '\..\filename') affecting Mlflow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves mlflow has a local file read/path traversal in dbfs. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.17.0rc0.

CVE-2024-8859 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-8859
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4rqf-8pfm-p36r
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-29: Path Traversal: '\..\filename'
Affected Product Mlflow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2024-8859

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Mlflow dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

mlflow fixed: 2.17.0rc0 
pip install mlflow>=2.17.0rc0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show mlflow

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2024-8859, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show mlflow

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mlflow in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.17.0rc0), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show mlflow command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-29: Path Traversal: '\..\filename', where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize '\..\filename' (leading backslash dot dot) sequences that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory. In Mlflow, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A path traversal vulnerability exists in mlflow/mlflow version 2.15.1. When users configure and use the dbfs service, concatenating the URL directly into the file protocol results in an arbitrary file read vulnerability. This issue occurs because only the path part of the URL is checked, while parts such as query and parameters are not handled. The vulnerability is triggered if the user has configured the dbfs service, and during usage, the service is mounted to a local directory.

CVE-2024-8859 Affected Mlflow Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.17.0rc0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mlflow
pypi/mlflow
PyPI
< 2.17.0rc0
2.17.0rc0

References

NVD — CVE-2024-8859 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-8859
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mlflow/mlflow/commit/7791b8cdd595f21b5f179c7b17e4b5eb5cbbe654
Mlflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mlflow/mlflow
huntr.com/bounties/2259b88b-a... WEB
https://huntr.com/bounties/2259b88b-a0c6-4c7c-b434-6aacf6056dcb

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-8859?
CVE-2024-8859 is a security vulnerability in Mlflow involving MLflow has a Local File Read/Path Traversal in dbfs under CWE-29: Path Traversal: '\..\filename'.
Which Mlflow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.17.0rc0 across affected packages: mlflow.
What version fixes CVE-2024-8859?
Upgrading to 2.17.0rc0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mlflow affected?
Yes, mlflow is affected in releases prior to 2.17.0rc0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.17.0rc0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-8859?
CVE-2024-8859 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-8859?
CVE-2024-8859 is classified under CWE-29: Path Traversal: '\..\filename' (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize '\..\filename' (leading backslash dot dot) sequences that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2024-8859?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show mlflow'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-4rqf-8pfm-p36r",
  "modified" : "2025-03-21T03:21:56Z",
  "published" : "2025-03-20T12:32:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-8859" ],
  "summary" : "MLflow has a Local File Read/Path Traversal in dbfs",
  "details" : "A path traversal vulnerability exists in mlflow/mlflow version 2.15.1. When users configure and use the dbfs service, concatenating the URL directly into the file protocol results in an arbitrary file read vulnerability. This issue occurs because only the path part of the URL is checked, while parts such as query and parameters are not handled. The vulnerability is triggered if the user has configured the dbfs service, and during usage, the service is mounted to a local directory.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "mlflow"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.17.0rc0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-8859"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mlflow/mlflow/commit/7791b8cdd595f21b5f179c7b17e4b5eb5cbbe654"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mlflow/mlflow"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://huntr.com/bounties/2259b88b-a0c6-4c7c-b434-6aacf6056dcb"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22", "CWE-29" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-03-21T03:21:56Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-03-20T10:15:44Z"
  }
}