CVE-2025-1194: transformers — Exploit & Fix

Description

A Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) vulnerability was identified in the huggingface/transformers library, specifically in the file `tokenization_gpt_neox_japanese.py` of the GPT-NeoX-Japanese model. The vulnerability occurs in the SubWordJapaneseTokenizer class, where regular expressions process specially crafted inputs. The issue stems from a regex exhibiting exponential complexity under certain conditions, leading to excessive backtracking. This can result in high CPU usage and potential application downtime, effectively creating a Denial of Service (DoS) scenario. The affected version is v4.48.1 (latest).

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CVSS v3.1 Score

6.5

MEDIUM

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

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-1333 CWE-1333

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
huggingface	transformers	< 4.50.0

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/huggingface/transformers/commit/92c5ca9dd70de3ade2af2eb835c96215cc50e815

Exploits

https://huntr.com/bounties/86f58dcd-683f-4adc-a735-849f51e9abb2 https://huntr.com/bounties/86f58dcd-683f-4adc-a735-849f51e9abb2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-1194? +

A Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) vulnerability was identified in the huggingface/transformers library, specifically in the file `tokenization_gpt_neox_japanese.py` of the GPT-NeoX-Japanese model. The vulnerability occurs in the SubWordJapaneseTokenizer class, where regular expressions process specially crafted inputs. The issue stems from a regex exhibiting exponential complexity under certain conditions, leading to excessive backtracking. This can result in high CPU usage and potential application downtime, effectively creating a Denial of Service (DoS) scenario. The affected version is v4.48.1 (latest). It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-1194? +

CVE-2025-1194 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-1194? +

CVE-2025-1194 affects products from huggingface, specifically: transformers. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-1194? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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