Vulnerability-Lookup

CVE-2026-68508 (GCVE-0-2026-68508)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-08-21 20:09 – Updated: 2026-08-21 21:43

Title

Hydra: hydra.utils.instantiate with untrusted config can lead to code execution

Summary

Hydra is a framework for elegantly configuring complex applications. Prior to 1.3.4, hydra.utils.instantiate() resolves and calls Python objects selected by configuration through _resolve_target() in hydra/_internal/instantiate/_instantiate2.py, allowing attacker-controlled target values and arguments to choose dangerous callables. A consuming application, library, CLI workflow, or model loader that passes untrusted configuration, CLI overrides, or model metadata into hydra.utils.instantiate() can therefore execute arbitrary code in its own process, including reading or modifying files and credentials or terminating the process. Version 1.3.4 adds target blocking with an explicit HYDRA_INSTANTIATE_ALLOWLIST_OVERRIDE escape hatch. This issue is fixed in version 1.3.4.

Severity

7.8 (High)


                        
                          CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

SSVC

Exploitation: none Automatable: no Technical Impact: total

CISA Coordinator · CISA-ADP (v2.0.3)

Decision recorded 2026-08-21 21:00 UTC

CWE

CWE-94 - Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
CWE-470 - Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code ('Unsafe Reflection')

Assigner

GitHub_M mitre root

References

5 references

URL	Tags
https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/security…	x_refsource_CONFIRM
https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/issues/3259	x_refsource_MISC
https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/pull/3261	x_refsource_MISC
https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/commit/7…	x_refsource_MISC
https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/releases…	x_refsource_MISC

Impacted products

1 product

Vendor	Product	Version	CPE status
facebookresearch	hydra	Affected: < 1.3.4	guessed

Show details on NVD website

JSON

To clipboard

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FKIE_CVE-2026-68508

Vulnerability from fkie_nvd - Published: 2026-08-21 21:17 - Updated: 2026-08-21 22:16

Severity

7.8 (High) - CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Summary

References

	URL	Tags
	security-advisories@github.com	https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/commit/7faad0dcedfb4c0a364aa1067c0080fd6fdf8dca
	security-advisories@github.com	https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/issues/3259
	security-advisories@github.com	https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/pull/3261
	security-advisories@github.com	https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/releases/tag/v1.3.4
	security-advisories@github.com	https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/security/advisories/GHSA-2cp2-2r3c-7p7r

Impacted products

	Vendor	Product	Version

JSON

To clipboard

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          "product": "hydra",
          "vendor": "facebookresearch",
          "versions": [
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GHSA-2CP2-2R3C-7P7R

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-08-21 20:57 – Updated: 2026-08-21 20:57

Summary

Hydra: hydra.utils.instantiate with untrusted config can lead to code execution

Details

Summary

hydra.utils.instantiate() resolves and calls Python objects from config. If an application passes untrusted config to instantiate(), an attacker who controls _target_ and its arguments can cause arbitrary code execution in the consuming process.

Hydra is not a network service. Exploitation requires a consuming application, library, or user workflow to load attacker-controlled config, CLI overrides, or model metadata and pass it to hydra.utils.instantiate().

Details

Hydra's instantiate API is designed to construct objects and call functions from configuration. For example:

component:
  _target_: package.module.Class
  arg: value

When this config is passed to hydra.utils.instantiate(), Hydra resolves _target_ and calls it with the provided arguments.

This is intended for trusted application configuration. However, if untrusted input controls _target_, the config becomes a callable-selection mechanism. A malicious config can select a callable capable of executing code or commands and provide attacker-controlled arguments.

This issue is the same general class of problem discussed by Unit 42 for downstream AI/ML libraries such as NVIDIA NeMo, where untrusted model metadata was passed into Hydra instantiate:

https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/rce-vulnerabilities-in-ai-python-libraries/

Hydra 1.3.4 includes a blacklist for some dangerous _target_ values. That blacklist is defense-in-depth and is not a complete security boundary. The blacklist is not present in the released hydra-core 1.3.3 package, so this issue should not be described as a bypass of a released 1.3.3 blacklist.

Impact

A successful attack can execute code in the process that calls hydra.utils.instantiate(). The impact is limited to the privileges and environment of that process.

Potential impact includes:

Reading files, credentials, environment variables, or data accessible to the process
Modifying files, outputs, checkpoints, or application state writable by the process
Terminating or disrupting the process

Affected Usage

Applications and libraries are affected when they pass untrusted or semi-trusted config, model metadata, CLI overrides, or other externally controlled data to hydra.utils.instantiate() without constraining which targets may be instantiated.

Trusted application-owned configuration is not affected in the same way.

Remediation

Hydra 1.3.4 hardens the existing behavior by adding a blacklist of obvious dangerous targets. It is a substantial security improvement, and users remaining on the 1.3 release line should upgrade to 1.3.4 or a newer version.

The unreleased Hydra 1.4 development line uses an allowlist-based instantiation model that fully addresses this vulnerability class. The allowlist must come from trusted application code or another trusted channel, not from the untrusted config being instantiated.

Applications that consume untrusted or semi-trusted config should not pass it directly to hydra.utils.instantiate(). They should validate _target_ values against a trusted allowlist before instantiation.

Severity

7.8 (High)


                  
                    CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Show details on source website

JSON

To clipboard

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      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "PyPI",
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        }
      ]
    }
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    "CVE-2026-68508"
  ],
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    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-470",
      "CWE-94"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-08-21T20:57:31Z",
    "nvd_published_at": null,
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "## Summary\n\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()` resolves and calls Python objects from config. If an\napplication passes untrusted config to `instantiate()`, an attacker who controls\n`_target_` and its arguments can cause arbitrary code execution in the consuming\nprocess.\n\nHydra is not a network service. Exploitation requires a consuming application,\nlibrary, or user workflow to load attacker-controlled config, CLI overrides, or\nmodel metadata and pass it to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`.\n\n## Details\n\nHydra\u0027s instantiate API is designed to construct objects and call functions from\nconfiguration. For example:\n\n```yaml\ncomponent:\n  _target_: package.module.Class\n  arg: value\n```\n\nWhen this config is passed to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`, Hydra resolves\n`_target_` and calls it with the provided arguments.\n\nThis is intended for trusted application configuration. However, if untrusted\ninput controls `_target_`, the config becomes a callable-selection mechanism. A\nmalicious config can select a callable capable of executing code or commands and\nprovide attacker-controlled arguments.\n\nThis issue is the same general class of problem discussed by Unit 42 for\ndownstream AI/ML libraries such as NVIDIA NeMo, where untrusted model metadata\nwas passed into Hydra instantiate:\n\nhttps://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/rce-vulnerabilities-in-ai-python-libraries/\n\nHydra 1.3.4 includes a blacklist for some dangerous `_target_` values. That\nblacklist is defense-in-depth and is not a complete security boundary. The\nblacklist is not present in the released `hydra-core` 1.3.3 package, so this\nissue should not be described as a bypass of a released 1.3.3 blacklist.\n\n## Impact\n\nA successful attack can execute code in the process that calls\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()`. The impact is limited to the privileges and\nenvironment of that process.\n\nPotential impact includes:\n\n- Reading files, credentials, environment variables, or data accessible to the\n  process\n- Modifying files, outputs, checkpoints, or application state writable by the\n  process\n- Terminating or disrupting the process\n\n## Affected Usage\n\nApplications and libraries are affected when they pass untrusted or semi-trusted\nconfig, model metadata, CLI overrides, or other externally controlled data to\n`hydra.utils.instantiate()` without constraining which targets may be\ninstantiated.\n\nTrusted application-owned configuration is not affected in the same way.\n\n## Remediation\n\nHydra 1.3.4 hardens the existing behavior by adding a blacklist of obvious\ndangerous targets. It is a substantial security improvement, and users remaining\non the 1.3 release line should upgrade to 1.3.4 or a newer version.\n\nThe unreleased Hydra 1.4 development line uses an allowlist-based instantiation\nmodel that fully addresses this vulnerability class. The allowlist must come\nfrom trusted application code or another trusted channel, not from the untrusted\nconfig being instantiated.\n\nApplications that consume untrusted or semi-trusted config should not pass it\ndirectly to `hydra.utils.instantiate()`. They should validate `_target_` values\nagainst a trusted allowlist before instantiation.",
  "id": "GHSA-2cp2-2r3c-7p7r",
  "modified": "2026-08-21T20:57:31Z",
  "published": "2026-08-21T20:57:31Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/security/advisories/GHSA-2cp2-2r3c-7p7r"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/issues/3259"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/pull/3261"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/commit/7faad0dcedfb4c0a364aa1067c0080fd6fdf8dca"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/hydra-ecosystem/hydra/releases/tag/v1.3.4"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Hydra: hydra.utils.instantiate with untrusted config can lead to code execution"
}

Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

Nomenclature

Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.

The MITRE ATT&CK techniques below are AI-generated suggestions, inferred from the description of the vulnerability by the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-classification-roberta-base model, served locally by ML-Gateway. They have not been verified by an analyst and are provided for guidance only.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.

Action not permitted

CVE-2026-68508 (GCVE-0-2026-68508)

FKIE_CVE-2026-68508

GHSA-2CP2-2R3C-7P7R

Summary

Details

Impact

Affected Usage

Remediation

Tags

Sightings

Nomenclature