PyTorch: Local privilege escalation vulnerability
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in PyTorch allows an attacker with local system access to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected service or process.
Triage facts
Revision 1- Applicability
- PyTorch
- Evidence
- Unknown
- Severity
- High
- Action
- Elevated
- Sources
- 1 public source
- Freshness
- Revision 1Nov 9, 22:11 UTC
- Source quality
- A1Likely
A vulnerability in PyTorch enables a local attacker to escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary code with the permissions of the PyTorch process. This vulnerability is currently unpatched. Users are advised to monitor official PyTorch security channels for patch availability.
Impact
Successful exploitation allows local attackers to gain elevated privileges on systems running PyTorch, potentially resulting in full system compromise depending on the service account permissions under which the framework is executing.
Recommendation
- Inventory systems running PyTorch to assess exposure.
- Restrict local system access to environments where PyTorch is deployed.
- Monitor for official patch releases from the PyTorch security team and apply them immediately upon availability.
- Implement the principle of least privilege for service accounts executing PyTorch workloads to minimize the impact of potential exploitation.
Immediate actions
Inventory all servers and workstations running PyTorch to prepare for future patching
Threat Hunt
Monitor for unexpected process execution or privilege escalation patterns by users or services running PyTorch-related binaries
Data: Endpoint process creation logs (e.g., EDR/Sysmon)
Mitigations
Apply official patches once released by PyTorch
PyTorch privilege escalation