GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64: Uv Uv Allows ZIP Payload Obfuscation Vulnerability

MODERATE
CWE-436 CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64 is a MODERATE uv allows zip payload obfuscation vulnerability (CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict) affecting Uv libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves uv allows zip payload obfuscation through parsing differentials. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.9.6.

GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64 at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict
Affected Product Uv
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64

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

uv fixed: 0.9.6
pip install uv>=0.9.6
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 uv

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show uv

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Uv in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.9.6), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict, where product a handles inputs or steps differently than product b, which causes a to perform incorrect actions based on its perception of b's state. In Uv, 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

### Impact In versions 0.9.5 and earlier of uv, ZIP archives were handled in a manner that enabled two parsing differentials against other components of the Python packaging ecosystem: 1. Central directory entries in a ZIP archive can contain comment fields. However, uv would assume that these fields were not present, since they aren't widely used. Consequently, a ZIP archive could be constructed where uv would interpret the contents of a central directory comment field as ZIP control structures (such as a new central directory entry), rather than skipping over them. 2. Both local file entries and central directory entries contain filename fields, which are used to place archive members on disk. These fields are arbitrary sequences of bytes, and may therefore be invalid or ambiguous. For example, they may contain ASCII null bytes, in which case different ZIP extractors behave differently: Python's `zipfile` module truncates the filename at the first null, while uv would skip (not extract) any archive members whose filenames contained nulls. Because of this difference, a ZIP archive could be constructed that would extract differently across different Python package installers. In both cases, the outcome is that an attacker may be able to produce a ZIP with a consistent digest that expands differently with different Python package installers. Like with GHSA-8qf3-x8v5-2pj8, the impact of these differentials is limited by a number of factors: - To be compromised via this vulnerability, user interaction of some sort is required. In particular, the user must run `uv pip install $package` or similar with an attacker-controlled $package. When using wheel distributions, installation of the malicious package is not sufficient for execution of malicious code, the vicim would need to perform a separate invocation, e.g., `python -c "import $package"`. - If a ZIP-based source distribution (which are less common than tarball source distributions), is encountered, malicious code can be executed during package resolution or installation. uv may invoke the malicious code when building the source distribution into a wheel. ### Patches Versions 0.9.6 and newer of uv address both of the parser differentials above, by properly handling comments in central directory entries and by refusing to process ZIPs that contain filename fields that are unlikely to be interpreted consistently across other ZIP parser implementations. ### Workarounds Users are advised to upgrade to 0.9.6 or newer to address this advisory. Most users should experience no breaking changes as a result of the patch above. However, users who do experience breakage should carefully review their distributions for signs of malicious intent. Users may choose to set `UV_INSECURE_NO_ZIP_VALIDATION=1` to revert to the previous behavior. ### Attribution This vulnerability was disclosed by Caleb Brown (Google).

GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64 Affected Uv Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.9.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
uv
PyPI
< 0.9.6
0.9.6

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64?
GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64 is a security vulnerability in Uv involving uv allows ZIP payload obfuscation through parsing differentials under CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict.
Which Uv versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.9.6 across affected packages: uv.
What version fixes GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64?
Upgrading to 0.9.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is uv affected?
Yes, uv is affected in releases prior to 0.9.6. Upgrade your dependency to 0.9.6 or later.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64?
GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64 is classified under CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict (Product A handles inputs or steps differently than Product B, which causes A to perform incorrect actions based on its perception of B's state.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show uv'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64",
  "modified" : "2025-10-29T22:12:57Z",
  "published" : "2025-10-29T22:12:57Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "uv allows ZIP payload obfuscation through parsing differentials",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nIn versions 0.9.5 and earlier of uv, ZIP archives were handled in a manner that enabled two parsing differentials against other components of the Python packaging ecosystem:\n\n1. Central directory entries in a ZIP archive can contain comment fields. However, uv would assume that these fields were not present, since they aren't widely used. Consequently, a ZIP archive could be constructed where uv would interpret the contents of a central directory comment field as ZIP control structures (such as a new central directory entry), rather than skipping over them.\n2. Both local file entries and central directory entries contain filename fields, which are used to place archive members on disk. These fields are arbitrary sequences of bytes, and may therefore be invalid or ambiguous. For example, they may contain ASCII null bytes, in which case different ZIP extractors behave differently: Python's `zipfile` module truncates the filename at the first null, while uv would skip (not extract) any archive members whose filenames contained nulls. Because of this difference, a ZIP archive could be constructed that would extract differently across different Python package installers.\n\nIn both cases, the outcome is that an attacker may be able to produce a ZIP with a consistent digest that expands differently with different Python package installers.\n\nLike with GHSA-8qf3-x8v5-2pj8, the impact of these differentials is limited by a number of factors:\n\n- To be compromised via this vulnerability, user interaction of some sort is required. In particular, the user must run `uv pip install $package` or similar with an attacker-controlled $package.\nWhen using wheel distributions, installation of the malicious package is not sufficient for execution of malicious code, the vicim would need to perform a separate invocation, e.g., `python -c \"import $package\"`.\n- If a ZIP-based source distribution (which are less common than tarball source distributions), is encountered, malicious code can be executed during package resolution or installation. uv may invoke the malicious code when building the source distribution into a wheel.\n\n### Patches\n\nVersions 0.9.6 and newer of uv address both of the parser differentials above, by properly handling comments in central directory entries and by refusing to process ZIPs that contain filename fields that are unlikely to be interpreted consistently across other ZIP parser implementations.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nUsers are advised to upgrade to 0.9.6 or newer to address this advisory.\n\nMost users should experience no breaking changes as a result of the patch above. However, users who do experience breakage should carefully review their distributions for signs of malicious intent. Users may choose to set `UV_INSECURE_NO_ZIP_VALIDATION=1` to revert to the previous behavior.\n\n### Attribution\n\nThis vulnerability was disclosed by Caleb Brown (Google).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "uv"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.9.6"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 0.9.5"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/security/advisories/GHSA-pqhf-p39g-3x64"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/commit/da659fee4898a73dbc75070f3e82d49f745e4628"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/astral-sh/uv"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-436" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-10-29T22:12:57Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}