tensortrap 0.3.1

Security scanner for AI/ML model files

TensorTrap

This is a novel Security scanner for AI/ML model files. It detects malicious code in pickle, safetensors, and GGUF files before loading them into workflows. It also checks output files to see if the model files generated malicious code embedded within media files (e.g., jpeg, png, mp4) that could harm your environment when opening/viewing.

Why TensorTrap?

AI model files can contain executable code. Pickle files in particular can run arbitrary Python when loaded. TensorTrap analyzes model files without executing them, identifying dangerous patterns before they can harm your system.

Key statistics:

• 83.5% of Hugging Face models use pickle-based formats (arbitrary code execution risk)
• 2.1 billion monthly downloads from Hugging Face alone
• 100+ confirmed malicious models discovered on public repositories

Installation

pip install tensortrap

For development:

pip install tensortrap[dev]

Usage

Scan a single file:

tensortrap scan model.safetensors

Scan a directory:

tensortrap scan ./models/

Output as JSON (for tooling integration):

tensortrap scan model.pkl --json

Show file info without full scan:

tensortrap info model.safetensors

CLI Options

tensortrap scan <path> [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -r, --recursive / -R, --no-recursive  Scan directories recursively (default: recursive)
  -j, --json                            Output results as JSON to console
  -v, --verbose                         Show detailed output including info-level findings
  --no-hash                             Skip computing file hashes
  --report / --no-report                Generate report files (default: enabled for directories)
  -o, --report-dir PATH                 Directory to save reports (default: current directory)
  -f, --report-formats TEXT             Comma-separated formats: txt,json,html,csv (default: all)

Report Generation

When scanning directories, TensorTrap automatically generates reports in multiple formats:

# Scan with all report formats (default)
tensortrap scan ./models/

# Disable report generation
tensortrap scan ./models/ --no-report

# Specific formats only
tensortrap scan ./models/ -f txt,html

# Custom output directory
tensortrap scan ./models/ -o ./reports/

Reports are saved with timestamps: tensortrap_report_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.{txt,json,html,csv}

Supported Formats

Format	Extensions	Risk Level
Pickle	.pkl, .pickle, .pt, .pth, .bin, .ckpt, .joblib	High (code execution)
PyTorch ZIP	.pt, .pth (ZIP archives)	High (internal pickles)
Safetensors	.safetensors	Low (data only)
GGUF	.gguf	Medium (template injection)
ONNX	.onnx	Medium (path traversal)
Keras/HDF5	.h5, .hdf5, .keras	High (Lambda layers, pickle)
YAML	.yaml, .yml	Medium (unsafe deserialization)
ComfyUI	.json (workflows)	High (eval nodes)
Images	.png, .jpg, .gif, .svg, .webp, .bmp, .tiff, .ico	Medium (polyglot attacks)
Video	.mp4, .mkv, .avi, .mov, .webm, .flv, .wmv	Medium (polyglot attacks)

What We Detect

Pickle Files

• Dangerous imports: os, subprocess, socket, builtins, sys, etc.
• Code execution opcodes: REDUCE, BUILD, GLOBAL, INST, NEWOBJ
• Known malicious patterns: os.system, subprocess.Popen, eval, exec
• Nested pickle attacks: pickle importing pickle

Safetensors Files

• Oversized headers: Potential DoS attacks
• Embedded payloads: Pickle data hidden in metadata
• Suspicious patterns: Code snippets in metadata
• Invalid structure: Malformed headers, bad tensor offsets

GGUF Files

• Invalid format: Wrong magic number, unknown versions
• Jinja template injection: CVE-2024-34359 patterns
• Anomalous structure: Excessive tensor/metadata counts
• Suspicious metadata: Code patterns in metadata values

ONNX Files

• Path traversal: CVE-2024-27318, CVE-2024-5187 via external_data
• Suspicious external references: Access to system files
• Arbitrary file read/write: Via malicious external data paths

Keras/HDF5 Files

• Lambda layers: Arbitrary code execution on load
• Embedded pickle: Pickle-serialized custom objects
• Suspicious config patterns: eval(), exec(), os.system()

YAML Configuration Files

• Unsafe deserialization: !!python/object tags (CVE-2025-50460)
• Code execution: subprocess, os.system patterns
• Dynamic imports: import patterns

ComfyUI Workflows

• Vulnerable nodes: ACE_ExpressionEval, HueAdjust (CVE-2024-21576/77)
• Code execution: eval() patterns in node inputs
• Arbitrary code: Malicious workflow structures

Polyglot & Media Files (Defense-in-Depth)

• Extension mismatch: Pickle/archive disguised as image (CVE-2025-1889)
• Archive-in-image: ZIP/7z/RAR appended to valid images
• Archive-in-video: Archives appended to video files
• SVG script injection: JavaScript, onclick handlers, data URIs
• Metadata payloads: Malicious code in EXIF/XMP metadata
• Double extensions: Tricks like model.pkl.png
• Trailing data: Hidden data after image end markers
• MKV attachments: Embedded files in Matroska containers

Additional Detections

• Magic byte analysis: Detects disguised pickle files (CVE-2025-1889)
• 7z archives: nullifAI bypass detection (CVE-2025-1716)
• Obfuscation: Base64, hex encoding, compression, high entropy
• PyTorch archives: Extracts and scans internal pickle files

Exit Codes

• 0: All files safe (no critical/high findings)
• 1: Threats detected (critical or high severity findings)

Example Output

Collecting files from ./models/...
Found 15 model file(s)

⠋ Scanning: model.pkl ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 15/15 0:00:02

model.pkl (pickle) - THREATS DETECTED

   Severity   Finding                                    Action
   !! CRITICAL  Known malicious call: os.system           DO NOT LOAD. Delete this file immediately.
   *  MEDIUM    REDUCE opcode found 1 time(s)             Normal for pickle models. Convert to safetensors.

Scanned 15 file(s): 14 safe, 1 with issues
  1 critical, 1 medium

Reports saved:
  TXT:  ./tensortrap_report_20251211_120000.txt
  JSON: ./tensortrap_report_20251211_120000.json
  HTML: ./tensortrap_report_20251211_120000.html
  CSV:  ./tensortrap_report_20251211_120000.csv

JSON Output

{
  "report_type": "tensortrap_security_scan",
  "scan_target": "./models/",
  "scan_date": "2025-12-11T12:00:00",
  "summary": {
    "total_files": 1,
    "safe_files": 0,
    "files_with_issues": 1,
    "findings_by_severity": {"critical": 1, "medium": 1}
  },
  "results": [
    {
      "filepath": "model.pkl",
      "format": "pickle",
      "is_safe": false,
      "max_severity": "critical",
      "findings": [
        {
          "severity": "critical",
          "message": "Known malicious call: os.system",
          "location": 0,
          "details": {"module": "os", "function": "system"},
          "recommendation": "DO NOT LOAD. Delete this file immediately."
        }
      ],
      "scan_time_ms": 1.23,
      "file_size": 256,
      "file_hash": "abc123..."
    }
  ]
}

Defense in Depth

TensorTrap focuses on AI model file security. For comprehensive protection of your AI workflow, we recommend combining TensorTrap with these complementary tools:

Recommended Security Stack

Tool	Purpose	Install
TensorTrap	AI model file scanning	pip install tensortrap
Stego	Steganography detection	See stego-toolkit
YARA	Pattern-based malware detection	apt install yara / yara.readthedocs.io
RKHunter	Rootkit detection	apt install rkhunter
ClamAV	General antivirus	apt install clamav

What Each Tool Catches

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    AI Workflow Security                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Downloaded Models    │  Generated Output    │  System Level    │
│  ─────────────────    │  ────────────────    │  ────────────    │
│  TensorTrap ✓         │  Stego ✓             │  RKHunter ✓      │
│  • Pickle exploits    │  • Hidden data       │  • Rootkits      │
│  • Format attacks     │  • Steganography     │  • Backdoors     │
│  • Polyglot files     │                      │                  │
│                       │                      │  ClamAV ✓        │
│  YARA ✓               │                      │  • Known malware │
│  • Known signatures   │                      │  • Viruses       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Quick Setup (Linux)

# Install TensorTrap
pip install tensortrap

# Install system tools
sudo apt update
sudo apt install yara rkhunter clamav clamav-daemon

# Initialize ClamAV database
sudo freshclam

# Run comprehensive scan
tensortrap scan ~/Models ~/Downloads    # AI models + polyglot detection
yara -r /path/to/rules ~/Downloads      # Pattern matching
rkhunter --check                        # System integrity
clamscan -r ~/Downloads                 # General malware

Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/realmarauder/TensorTrap.git
cd TensorTrap

# Install dev dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Run linting
ruff check src/
mypy src/

License

MIT License - see LICENSE.

About

TensorTrap is developed by M2 Dynamics, specializing in AI/ML security consulting.