CVE-2025-3263: transformers — Exploit & Fix

Description

A Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) vulnerability was discovered in the Hugging Face Transformers library, specifically in the `get_configuration_file()` function within the `transformers.configuration_utils` module. The affected version is 4.49.0, and the issue is resolved in version 4.51.0. The vulnerability arises from the use of a regular expression pattern `config\.(.*)\.json` that can be exploited to cause excessive CPU consumption through crafted input strings, leading to catastrophic backtracking. This can result in model serving disruption, resource exhaustion, and increased latency in applications using the library.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.3

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-1333 CWE-1333

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
huggingface	transformers	4.49.0 — 4.51.0

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/huggingface/transformers/commit/0720e206c6ba28887e4d60ef60a6a089f6c1cc76

Exploits

https://huntr.com/bounties/c7a69150-54f8-4e81-8094-791e7a2a0f29

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-3263? +

A Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) vulnerability was discovered in the Hugging Face Transformers library, specifically in the `get_configuration_file()` function within the `transformers.configuration_utils` module. The affected version is 4.49.0, and the issue is resolved in version 4.51.0. The vulnerability arises from the use of a regular expression pattern `config\.(.*)\.json` that can be exploited to cause excessive CPU consumption through crafted input strings, leading to catastrophic backtracking. This can result in model serving disruption, resource exhaustion, and increased latency in applications using the library. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-3263? +

CVE-2025-3263 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.3 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-2025-3263? +

CVE-2025-3263 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-2025-3263? +

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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