An undocumented and unsafe feature in the PLY (Python Lex-Yacc) library 3.11 allows Remote Code Execution (RCE) via the picklefile parameter in the yacc() function. This parameter accepts a .pkl file that is deserialized with pickle.load() without validation. Because pickle allows execution of embedded code via __reduce__(), an attacker can achieve code execution by passing a malicious pickle file. The parameter is not mentioned in official documentation or the GitHub repository, yet it is active in the PyPI version. This introduces a stealthy backdoor and persistence risk.
Weakness
The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid.
Affected Software
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ply | Dabeaz | 3.11 (including) | 3.11 (including) |
Potential Mitigations
- Make fields transient to protect them from deserialization.
- An attempt to serialize and then deserialize a class containing transient fields will result in NULLs where the transient data should be. This is an excellent way to prevent time, environment-based, or sensitive variables from being carried over and used improperly.
Related Attack Patterns
References
- https://github.com/bohmiiidd/Undocumented-RCE-in-PLY
- https://github.com/bohmiiidd/Undocumument_RCE_PLY-yacc-CVE-2025-56005
- https://github.com/tom025/ply_exploit_rejection
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/01/23/4
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/01/23/5
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/01/28/5
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/01/29/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/01/29/2
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/01/30/1