Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2024-4264

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability exists in the berriai/litellm project due to improper control of the generation of code when using the `eval` function unsafely in the `litellm.get_secret()` method. Specifically, when the server utilizes Google KMS, untrusted data is passed to the `eval` function without any sanitization. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious values into environment variables through the `/config/update` endpoint, which allows for the update of settings in `proxy_server_config.yaml`.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The berriai/litellm project contains an RCE vulnerability in the `litellm.get_secret()` method where untrusted data from Google KMS is passed to the unsafe `eval` function without sanitization. Attackers can exploit this by injecting malicious payloads into environment variables via the `/config/update` endpoint, which updates settings in `proxy_server_config.yaml`.

MitigationReplace the unsafe `eval` usage in `get_secret()` with secure alternatives (such as ast.literal_eval for literals or removing eval entirely), implement proper input validation/sanitization for KMS data, and restrict or disable the `/config/update` endpoint if not required.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed litellm version
    Run `pip show litellm` or `pip list | grep litellm` to identify the installed version
    Affected if Version is within the range that contains the vulnerable get_secret() method using eval
  2. Locate and inspect the get_secret() method
    Search the litellm source code for the `get_secret` function definition and examine if it uses the `eval` function
    Affected if The get_secret() method contains an `eval` call without proper sanitization of KMS data
  3. Verify if /config/update endpoint is accessible
    Check proxy configuration files (e.g., proxy_server_config.yaml) for endpoint settings and whether the /config/update route is enabled
    Affected if The /config/update endpoint is enabled and allows updating configuration via HTTP
  4. Inspect proxy config for KMS-related environment variables
    Examine proxy_server_config.yaml for environment variables that pull data from Google KMS (look for kms:// prefixes or KMS key references)
    Affected if Environment variables configured to retrieve secrets from Google KMS are present in the proxy configuration

A user is affected if litellm is installed with the vulnerable get_secret() method that uses eval, the /config/update endpoint is accessible, and the configuration uses Google KMS for environment variables.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Replace the unsafe `eval` usage in `get_secret()` with secure alternatives (such as ast.literal_eval for literals or removing eval entirely), implement proper input validation/sanitization for KMS data, and restrict or disable the `/config/update` endpoint if not required.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,380
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-4264 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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