CVE-2024-49375: 
Python vulnerability analysis and mitigation

A critical vulnerability (CVE-2024-49375) has been identified in the Rasa framework, a popular open-source machine learning platform with over 25 million downloads. The vulnerability enables attackers to achieve Remote Code Execution (RCE) through the remote loading of maliciously crafted models into a Rasa instance. This security flaw affects both Rasa Pro and Rasa Open Source versions prior to their respective security updates, and carries a CVSS score of 9.0 (Critical) (GitHub Advisory, Security Online).

The vulnerability is exploitable when the HTTP API is enabled using the --enable-api flag, which is not the default configuration. The flaw involves two potential attack scenarios: unauthenticated RCE when no authentication or security controls are configured, and authenticated RCE requiring valid authentication tokens or JWTs to interact with the Rasa API. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code) and CWE-502 (Deserialization of Untrusted Data) (GitHub Advisory).

If successfully exploited, the vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected Rasa instances. This could potentially lead to complete system compromise, affecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system. The high CVSS score of 9.0 reflects the critical nature of this vulnerability, particularly in scenarios where authentication is not properly configured (GitHub Advisory).

Rasa has released security patches to address this vulnerability. Users should upgrade to Rasa Pro versions 3.8.18, 3.9.16, or 3.10.12, or Rasa Open Source version 3.6.21. After upgrading, models must be retrained using the patched version. For users unable to upgrade immediately, recommended mitigations include enabling API authentication, loading models only from trusted sources, verifying file hashes, and implementing strict access controls based on the principle of least privilege (ASEC, GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability was responsibly disclosed by Julian Scheid from Deutsche Telekom Security GmbH. In response to this security concern, Rasa has announced plans to enhance security in future releases by removing the ability to enable the API without authentication (GitHub Advisory).