CVE-2026-53872 picklescan - Arbitrary File Read via Unsafe Pickle Deserialization
Unauthenticated attackers can read arbitrary server files and exfiltrate data by exploiting unsafe pickle deserialization in picklescan.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-53872?
CVE-2026-53872 is a high-severity unsafe deserialization vulnerability in picklescan, published on 17 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
picklescan before 0.0.35 contains an unsafe pickle deserialization vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files by chaining io.FileIO and urllib.request.urlopen. Attackers can bypass RCE-focused blocklists to exfiltrate sensitive data like /etc/passwd to external servers.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53872?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including picklescan.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
picklescan PyPI | All versions | 0.0.35 |
picklescan PyPI | All versions | 0.0.35 |
picklescan PyPI | All versions | 0.0.35 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-53872?
Upgrade picklescan to 0.0.35 or later.
Upgrade, and only deserialise data from trusted sources or with an allow-list of types. More about Unsafe deserialization.
Is CVE-2026-53872 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-53872 exists.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-9726-w42j-3qjr, PYSEC-2026-1787.