CPU exhaustion via catastrophic regex backtracking
Published Jul 7, 2025 · Updated Jul 7, 2025
ReDoS in Hugging Face Transformers before 4.51.0 allows remote attackers to exhaust CPU through crafted Python source files. The get_imports function applies an unbounded try/except-block regular expression across file contents, causing catastrophic backtracking on malicious text. Exploitation requires attacker-controlled source to reach dynamic-module import discovery and can stall model-serving or development workloads.
Summary
What happened
ReDoS in Hugging Face Transformers before 4.51.0 allows remote attackers to exhaust CPU through crafted Python source files. The get_imports function applies an unbounded try/except-block regular expression across file contents, causing catastrophic backtracking on malicious text. Exploitation requires attacker-controlled source to reach dynamic-module import discovery and can stall model-serving or development workloads.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-3264
- Published
- Jul 7, 2025
- Updated
- Jul 7, 2025
- Vendor
- Hugging Face
- Product
- Hugging Face Transformers
- Classifications
- CWE-1333, CAPEC-492, T1499.003
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 7, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 7, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=unspecified <4.51.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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