# CVE-2026-120859: PyMoDAQ before 5.3.10 Arbitrary Code Execution via Crafted HDF5, Dock Layout, and XML Settings Files

Status: published. Published: 2026-11-05. Updated: 2026-11-09.

PyMoDAQ before 4.4.13, and pymodaq_data, pymodaq_gui, and pymodaq_utils before 5.1.15, 5.2.x before 5.2.14, and 5.3.x before 5.3.10, contain deserialization of untrusted data and eval injection vulnerabilities that allow attackers to execute arbitrary code by supplying crafted files that a user opens. Attackers can store pickled objects in HDF5 string nodes that StringARRAY.array_to_string() passes to pickle.loads() when the node is browsed or read, place Python expressions in HDF5 attributes that JsonConverter.json2object() evaluates, supply a .dock file that load_layout_state() unpickles from the Dashboard Load layout action, or embed Python expressions in XML settings files that elt_to_dict() and set_txt_from_elt() evaluate.

## Remediation

- fix: The reporting source identifies this reference as a patch. Check the advisory for affected versions and supported release branches. (source: CNA: VulnCheck) — https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/6c7fff74d82624c640bd79513f5b4675ea6d88da
- fix: The reporting source identifies this reference as a patch. Check the advisory for affected versions and supported release branches. (source: CNA: VulnCheck) — https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/3bf9042a58f5d4870a2b45fe2c9423aafe6b9203
- fix: The reporting source identifies this reference as a patch. Check the advisory for affected versions and supported release branches. (source: CNA: VulnCheck) — https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/ae0042513eb979c84da690825902658c625718d1
- fix: The reporting source identifies this reference as a patch. Check the advisory for affected versions and supported release branches. (source: CNA: VulnCheck) — https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/041e8a22b3dbe3c986ec0ea3c6b46a22f5efe374

## Affected products and versions

- PyMoDAQ / PyMoDAQ (pymodaq): ≥ 0; < 4.4.13 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: VulnCheck
- PyMoDAQ / pymodaq_data (pymodaq-data): ≥ 0; < 5.1.15 (affected, semver); ≥ 5.2.0; < 5.2.14 (affected, semver); ≥ 5.3.0; < 5.3.10 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: VulnCheck
- PyMoDAQ / pymodaq_gui (pymodaq-gui): ≥ 0; < 5.1.15 (affected, semver); ≥ 5.2.0; < 5.2.14 (affected, semver); ≥ 5.3.0; < 5.3.10 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: VulnCheck
- PyMoDAQ / pymodaq_utils (pymodaq-utils): ≥ 0; < 5.1.15 (affected, semver); ≥ 5.2.0; < 5.2.14 (affected, semver); ≥ 5.3.0; < 5.3.10 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: VulnCheck
-  / pymodaq_data (pymodaq_data): <5.3.10;<5.2.14;<5.1.10 (affected, GitHub advisory range). Source: GitHub GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84
-  / pymodaq (pymodaq): <5.3.10;<5.2.14;<5.1.14;<5.0.19 (affected, GitHub advisory range). Source: GitHub GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84
-  / pymodaq_gui (pymodaq_gui): <5.3.10;<5.2.14;<5.1.13;<5.0.36 (affected, GitHub advisory range). Source: GitHub GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84
-  / pymodaq_utils (pymodaq_utils): <5.3.10;<5.2.14;<5.1.12 (affected, GitHub advisory range). Source: GitHub GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84

## Severity and prioritization

- CVSS 4.0: 8.5 (high); CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N; source: CNA: VulnCheck

- CVSS 3.1: 7.8 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H; source: CNA: VulnCheck

- CVSS 4.0: 8.5 (high); CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X; source: NVD: disclosure@vulncheck.com

- CVSS 3.1: 7.8 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H; source: NVD: disclosure@vulncheck.com

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: 0.19% as of 2026-11-09; percentile 8.89%

- SSVC: exploitation poc; automatable no; technical impact total; source ADP: CISA-ADP

- Weaknesses: CWE-502, CWE-95

## Exploit evidence

- exploit: https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84 (ADP: CISA-ADP)

## References

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84 (CNA: VulnCheck; vendor-advisory)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/6c7fff74d82624c640bd79513f5b4675ea6d88da (CNA: VulnCheck; patch)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/3bf9042a58f5d4870a2b45fe2c9423aafe6b9203 (CNA: VulnCheck; patch)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/ae0042513eb979c84da690825902658c625718d1 (CNA: VulnCheck; patch)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/041e8a22b3dbe3c986ec0ea3c6b46a22f5efe374 (CNA: VulnCheck; patch)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/releases/tag/5.3.10 (CNA: VulnCheck; release-notes)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/releases/tag/5.2.14 (CNA: VulnCheck; release-notes)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/releases/tag/5.1.15 (CNA: VulnCheck; release-notes)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/releases/tag/4.4.13 (CNA: VulnCheck; release-notes)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/blob/5.3.9/packages/pymodaq_data/src/pymodaq_data/h5modules/backends.py#L477-L478 (CNA: VulnCheck; technical-description)

- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/pymodaq-before-5.3.10-arbitrary-code-execution-via-crafted-hdf5-dock-layout-and-xml-settings-files (CNA: VulnCheck; third-party-advisory)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84 (ADP: CISA-ADP; exploit)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/blob/5.3.9/packages/pymodaq_data/src/pymodaq_data/h5modules/backends.py#L477-L478 (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/041e8a22b3dbe3c986ec0ea3c6b46a22f5efe374 (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/3bf9042a58f5d4870a2b45fe2c9423aafe6b9203 (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/6c7fff74d82624c640bd79513f5b4675ea6d88da (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/commit/ae0042513eb979c84da690825902658c625718d1 (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/releases/tag/4.4.13 (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/releases/tag/5.1.15 (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/releases/tag/5.2.14 (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/releases/tag/5.3.10 (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84 (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/pymodaq-before-5.3.10-arbitrary-code-execution-via-crafted-hdf5-dock-layout-and-xml-settings-files (disclosure@vulncheck.com)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84 (134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0)

- https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84 (GitHub Security Advisories; advisory)

## Provenance

- CNA: VulnCheck: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-120859; retrieved 2026-11-09; source updated 2026-11-09

- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-120859; retrieved 2026-11-10; source updated 2026-11-09

- GitHub Security Advisories: https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/PyMoDAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-jw9g-5c9x-cf84; retrieved 2026-11-07; source updated 2026-11-04

- FIRST EPSS: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-120859; retrieved 2026-11-09; source updated Not reported

Revision: 2c8547de8be04e885f3e30e1a46f8fc83b2223c77787187188b555873834b8b1

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-120859

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