CVE-2026-68770 sentence-transformers Arbitrary Code Execution on Local Model Load Despite trust_remote_code=False
Attackers with local file write access can execute arbitrary code by placing malicious files in a model directory, bypassing the trust_remote_code=False security control.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-68770?
CVE-2026-68770 is a critical code injection vulnerability in Hugging Face sentence-transformers, published on 31 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
sentence-transformers contains a security control bypass vulnerability that allows attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution by exploiting a logic flaw in the import_module_class helper within sentence_transformers/util/misc.py, where the guard condition includes an 'or os.path.exists(model_name_or_path)' clause that satisfies the trust gate whenever the supplied path exists on the local filesystem, regardless of the trust_remote_code=False argument. Attackers who can control or influence the contents of a model directory on disk can place malicious Python files such as modeling_*.py referenced via modules.json, causing the code to execute at import time when an application loads the model with SentenceTransformer(path, trust_remote_code=False), bypassing the documented security contract and achieving code execution within the loading process.
Weakness: CWE-94
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-68770?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including sentence-transformers.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
sentence-transformers PyPI | All versions | 5.6.0 |
sentence-transformers PyPI | All versions | 5.6.0 |
sentence-transformers PyPI | All versions | 5.6.0 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-68770?
Upgrade sentence-transformers to 5.6.0 or later.
Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.
Is CVE-2026-68770 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-68770 exists.
Sources
Also known as CLSA-2026-1790851862, ECHO-fe3d-8e4c-5919, GHSA-jhr6-gm9c-rqjv, PYSEC-2026-4164, ROOT-APP-PYPI-CVE-2026-68770.