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KerasApplication

CVE-2026-1669

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.13.1 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Arbitrary file read in the model loading mechanism (HDF5 integration) in Keras versions 3.0.0 through 3.13.1 on all supported platforms allows a remote attacker to read local files and disclose sensitive information via a crafted .keras model file utilizing HDF5 external dataset references.

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

Keras versions 3.0.0-3.13.1 contain an arbitrary file read vulnerability in the HDF5-based model loading mechanism. Attackers can craft malicious .keras files containing HDF5 external dataset references that, when loaded, cause Keras to read arbitrary local files from the host system and exfiltrate sensitive data.

MitigationUpgrade Keras to the latest version (3.13.2+) which patches this vulnerability. Additionally, implement strict validation of .keras model files from untrusted sources before loading, and consider sandboxing model loading in isolated environments.

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

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
KerasApplication
Affected:>= 3.0.0, <= 3.13.1

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 Keras version
    Run 'python -c "import keras; print(keras.__version__)"' or 'pip show keras' to get the installed version number
    Affected if Version is >= 3.0.0 and <= 3.13.1
  2. Identify model loading patterns in code
    Search codebase for calls to keras.models.load_model() or tf.keras.models.load_model() loading .keras files, especially those from external or untrusted sources
    Affected if Code loads .keras model files from sources outside the trusted development pipeline
  3. Check model file format
    Examine .keras files to determine if they use HDF5 format (look for HDF5 file headers or file size/structure indicators) - Keras 3 defaults to the .keras format which can use either HDF5 or the new format
    Affected if .keras files are in HDF5 format and loaded into vulnerable Keras versions
  4. Verify model source handling
    Review application logic that downloads, receives, or accesses .keras model files from network sources, user uploads, or untrusted paths
    Affected if Models are loaded from untrusted or external sources without validation

You are affected if Keras version is between 3.0.0 and 3.13.1 AND your application loads .keras model files, particularly from untrusted or external sources, as the vulnerability allows arbitrary file read via crafted HDF5 external dataset references.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.13.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Keras to the latest version (3.13.2+) which patches this vulnerability. Additionally, implement strict validation of .keras model files from untrusted sources before loading, and consider sandboxing model loading in isolated environments.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to the latest Keras release (version > 3.13.1). Check PyPI or the Keras GitHub releases page for the current stable version.

  1. 1. Identify all Python environments where Keras >= 3.0.0 is installed
  2. 2. Upgrade Keras to a version newer than 3.13.1 using: pip install --upgrade keras
  3. 3. Alternatively, for systems that cannot immediately upgrade, avoid loading .keras model files from untrusted or unknown sources
  4. 4. If you must load models from external sources, implement validation to verify the model file does not contain HDF5 external dataset references before loading
  5. 5. Apply the principle of least privilege: ensure model loading code runs with minimal file system permissions
Caveat Potential breaking changes between Keras 3.x versions - review the Keras changelog before upgrading in production environments.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Keras Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2026-1669 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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