Deserialization Security

Deserialization Security

Block unsafe deserialization across Java, Python, .NET, PHP, Ruby, Node.js — gadget chains, type allowlisting, safer alternatives

ALWAYS

• Prefer structural, schema-validated formats (JSON with a JSON Schema validator, Protobuf, FlatBuffers, MessagePack with an explicit type map) over polymorphic native serializers. The trade-off "save 10 lines of mapping code" is never worth the RCE primitive.
• When a polymorphic deserializer is unavoidable, configure a strict type allowlist at the framework level (Jackson PolymorphicTypeValidator, fastjson safeMode, .NET KnownTypeAttribute, XStream Whitelist). The default of "any class" is the source of every modern Java deserialization CVE.
• Sign and authenticate any cookie or token that carries serialized data with a fresh random key (HMAC-SHA-256, minimum). Never deserialize before HMAC verification.
• Run deserialization code paths under the minimum capabilities the format needs (no filesystem, no network, no subprocess, no reflection) — e.g. Java ObjectInputFilter patterns; Python in a constrained namespace.
• Treat any of the following functions as "untrusted-input deserialization primitives": Java ObjectInputStream.readObject, Jackson with enableDefaultTyping, SnakeYAML Yaml.load(), XStream fromXML, Python pickle.load(s) / cPickle / dill / joblib.load, yaml.load (default Loader), numpy.load(allow_pickle=True), torch.load, PHP unserialize, .NET BinaryFormatter / ObjectStateFormatter / NetDataContractSerializer / LosFormatter, Ruby Marshal.load / YAML.load (Psych ≤ 3.0). Adding one of these to a request-handling code path requires explicit security review.

NEVER

• Pass untrusted bytes to any of the primitives above without an HMAC-authenticated wrapper. Even with a wrapper, prefer a non-polymorphic format.
• Use Java Jackson with objectMapper.enableDefaultTyping() or @JsonTypeInfo(use = Id.CLASS). The default of LAMINAR_INTERNAL_DEFAULT produces a class-id gadget chain (ysoserial / marshalsec).
• Use SnakeYAML new Yaml() without explicitly specifying a SafeConstructor (or Constructor with an allowlist). The default constructor is the source of common Java YAML RCE CVEs.
• Use Python pickle.loads on data from a network socket, a database column, a Redis cache key, or anywhere that crosses a trust boundary. No amount of validation makes pickle safe.
• Use Python yaml.load(data) (without Loader=yaml.SafeLoader). PyYAML changed the default in 6.0 to fail loudly — older code paths still ship the unsafe default.
• Use Python torch.load(path) on a downloaded checkpoint without weights_only=True (PyTorch ≥ 2.6 defaults to True; older versions reach pickle and execute arbitrary code).
• Use PHP unserialize() on cookie / POST / GET data. PHP serialized format has a long history of magic-method gadget chains (__wakeup, __destruct, __toString).
• Use .NET BinaryFormatter, NetDataContractSerializer, ObjectStateFormatter, LosFormatter for any input crossing a trust boundary. Microsoft marks BinaryFormatter as obsolete and unsafe.
• Trust the contents of a Ruby Marshal.load from anywhere outside the same process. Same restriction for YAML.load on older Psych.

KNOWN FALSE POSITIVES

• Internal RPC where both sides are operator-controlled, the data is authenticated end-to-end (mTLS + HMAC), and the format choice is pragmatic (e.g. Java services using ObjectInputStream over a TLS+mTLS-only socket may be acceptable in some legacy stacks).
• Build-time / configuration-time deserialization of files that ship in the repository (pickle test fixtures, etc.) — but mark them clearly and never load them from a download.
• Cryptographically-authenticated session formats like Rails' default signed-cookie sessions are intended use of Marshal, but only because the HMAC gates the deserialization.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: ShieldNet-360
• Source: ShieldNet-360/secure-vibe
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.