Horovod Insecure Deserialization Vulnerability in KVStore HTTP Server Component Allowing Remote Code Execution

A vulnerability allowing insecure deserialization has been identified in Horovod versions through 0.28.1. This issue resides in the KVStore HTTP server component, which is used for distributed task coordination. The KVStore server lacks proper authentication and authorization controls, enabling remote attackers to send arbitrary data via HTTP PUT requests. When a Horovod worker retrieves data from the KVStore using HTTP GET, it deserializes the data with cloudpickle.loads() without verifying its source or integrity. This flaw can be exploited by sending a malicious pickle payload to the server before the legitimate data, causing the worker to deserialize and execute arbitrary code, resulting in remote code execution.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability allows for remote code execution on the affected system.