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Qiskit allows arbitrary code execution decoding QPY format versions < 13

Critical severity GitHub Reviewed Published Mar 14, 2025 in Qiskit/qiskit • Updated Mar 15, 2025

Package

pip qiskit (pip)

Affected versions

<= 1.4.1
= 2.0.0rc1

Patched versions

1.4.2
2.0.0rc2
pip qiskit-terra (pip)
>= 0.18.0, <= 0.46.3
None

Description

Impact

A maliciously crafted QPY file containing can potentially execute arbitrary-code embedded in the payload without privilege escalation when deserializing QPY formats < 13. A python process calling Qiskit's qiskit.qpy.load() function could potentially execute any arbitrary Python code embedded in the correct place in the binary file as part of a specially constructed payload.

Patches

Fixed in Qiskit 1.4.2 and in Qiskit 2.0.0rc2

References

@mtreinish mtreinish published to Qiskit/qiskit Mar 14, 2025
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Mar 14, 2025
Reviewed Mar 14, 2025
Last updated Mar 15, 2025

Severity

Critical

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(5th percentile)

Weaknesses

CVE ID

CVE-2025-2000

GHSA ID

GHSA-6m2c-76ff-6vrf

Source code

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