Malicious Models with Embedded Malware Discovered on Hugging Face

# Malicious Models with Embedded Malware Discovered on Hugging Face

https://gcdradar.vercel.app/incidents/malicious-models-with-embedded-malware-discovered-on-hugging · AIR-2025-0057 · closed 2025-05-06

- Lane: Supply chain
- Severity: 3 (Confirmed exploitation)
- Fix status: Fix status unknown
- First reported: 2025-04-22 (happened 2025)
- AI role: Attack on AI
- Products: Hugging Face, Picklescan

## Summary

Researchers identified malicious machine learning models containing embedded reverse shell payloads hosted on the Hugging Face repository. The files utilized corrupted structures to evade scanner detection during deserialization.

## What to do

No action recorded; read the sources below and the vendor's advisory.

## Latest updates

- 2025-04-22: Malicious ML models discovered on Hugging Face platform (https://reversinglabs.com/blog/rl-identifies-malware-ml-model-hosted-on-hugging-face?web_view=true)
- 2025-04-22: Malicious Models on Hugging Face (https://atlas.mitre.org/studies/AML.CS0031)

## Sources

- 2025-04-22 MITRE ATLAS: Malicious Models on Hugging Face https://atlas.mitre.org/studies/AML.CS0031
- 2025-04-22 reversinglabs.com: Malicious ML models discovered on Hugging Face platform https://reversinglabs.com/blog/rl-identifies-malware-ml-model-hosted-on-hugging-face?web_view=true

Verify against the vendor's advisory before changing production. Data CC BY-SA 4.0, https://gcdradar.vercel.app.