README.md

sklearn-pmml-model: Incorrect SparseArray Indices/Entries pairing in parse_sparse_array() -> IndexError DoS or silent model-output corruption

Target repo: https://github.com/iamDecode/sklearn-pmml-model Version confirmed: v1.0.8 (PyPI), verified byte-identical to current GitHub master sklearn_pmml_model/base.py via diff against a freshly fetched copy of raw.githubusercontent.com. CWE: CWE-129 (Improper Validation of Array Index) / incorrect array index usage. Reported: 2026-07-12

Summary

parse_sparse_array() in sklearn_pmml_model/base.py mis-pairs the <Indices> and <Entries> elements of a PMML <SparseArray>. Per the PMML/DMG spec, position i of <Indices> names the destination slot for position i of <Entries> (i.e. the correct code is values[indices[i]] = entries[i], e.g. via zip/enumerate). The actual code instead reuses the value of each index as if it were also a valid position into entries:

for index in indices:
    values[index] = entries[index]

This is wrong for essentially any non-trivial sparse array (any case where the index values are not exactly the sequence 0,1,2,...,len(entries)-1), which is the entire point of using a SparseArray instead of a dense Array in the first place.

This bug is reached through the library's own public, documented API (sklearn_pmml_model.auto_detect.auto_detect_estimator(), and the PMMLSVR/PMMLSVC classes that use it), the same call path as an already-filed, separate SparseArray @n uncontrolled-allocation finding. This is a distinct defect: different root cause (indexing/pairing logic, not pre-allocation size), different line (base.py ~line 395 vs. the @n allocation site), and not fixed by that finding's suggested remediation (bounding/capping @n) — this bug fires or silently corrupts data regardless of how small @n is.

Root cause

File: sklearn_pmml_model/base.py, function parse_sparse_array() (approx. lines 368-396 of current master):

values = [0] * int(array.get('n'))
indices = [int(i) - 1 for i in array.find('Indices').text.split(' ')]
...
entries = [float(x) for x in element.text.split(' ')]   # (or int, per type)
...
for index in indices:
    values[index] = entries[index]

indices holds the 0-based (converted from PMML's 1-based) target positions named by <Indices>. entries is a separate, independently sized list parsed from <Entries> / <NUM-Entries> / <REAL-Entries> / <INT-Entries>. The code indexes entries using the index value itself rather than the position within the indices list, so:

• If any index value is >= len(entries), entries[index] raises an uncaught IndexError.
• If index values are within range of len(entries) but not exactly 0, 1, 2, ..., len(entries)-1 in order, the wrong entries silently land in the wrong slots — no exception, but corrupted values.

Two security-relevant, independently reachable outcomes:

1. IndexError crash / DoS — whenever any index value is >= len(entries) (the normal case for genuinely sparse data: a large feature space with few non-zero entries), parsing raises an uncaught IndexError and aborts the caller. No huge-allocation trick needed — n can be a completely ordinary, small value.
2. Silent model-output corruption — whenever index values happen to stay in range but are not in strictly sequential order, the resulting support-vector (or coefficient) values are silently wrong. An attacker-crafted PMML file loads "successfully" but yields corrupted predictions at inference time, undermining the integrity of the loaded model with no visible error.

Proof of Concept

Three minimal (~1KB) SupportVectorMachineModel PMML files, each with a single support vector encoded as a <SparseArray>, loaded via the library's public, documented API, sklearn_pmml_model.auto_detect.auto_detect_estimator().

1. wrong_indices.pmml — IndexError DoS

<SparseArray type="real" n="5">
  <Indices>1 3 5</Indices>
  <Entries>10 20 30</Entries>
</SparseArray>

Real, captured output loading this file:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 6, in <module>
    clf = auto_detect_estimator('/home/kali/hunt-workspace/pmml-index-bug/wrong_indices.pmml')
  File "/home/kali/pmml-verify-build/sklearn-pmml-model/sklearn_pmml_model/auto_detect/base.py", line 40, in auto_detect_estimator
    return auto_detect_regressor(pmml, **kwargs)
  File "/home/kali/pmml-verify-build/sklearn-pmml-model/sklearn_pmml_model/auto_detect/base.py", line 129, in auto_detect_regressor
    return parse(f)
  File "/home/kali/pmml-verify-build/sklearn-pmml-model/sklearn_pmml_model/auto_detect/base.py", line 123, in parse
    return reg(pmml, **kwargs)
  File "/home/kali/pmml-verify-build/sklearn-pmml-model/sklearn_pmml_model/svm/_classes.py", line 295, in __init__
    PMMLBaseSVM.__init__(self)
  File "/home/kali/pmml-verify-build/sklearn-pmml-model/sklearn_pmml_model/svm/_base.py", line 56, in __init__
    get_vectors(vector_dictionary, s) for s in self.support_
  File "/home/kali/pmml-verify-build/sklearn-pmml-model/sklearn_pmml_model/svm/_base.py", line 109, in get_vectors
    return np.array(parse_array(array))
  File "/home/kali/pmml-verify-build/sklearn-pmml-model/sklearn_pmml_model/base.py", line 330, in parse_array
    return parse_sparse_array(array)
  File "/home/kali/pmml-verify-build/sklearn-pmml-model/sklearn_pmml_model/base.py", line 395, in parse_sparse_array
    values[index] = entries[index]
IndexError: list index out of range
Exception: <class 'IndexError'> list index out of range

2. silent_corruption.pmml — silent model-output corruption

<SparseArray type="real" n="3">
  <Indices>2 3 1</Indices>
  <Entries>10 20 30</Entries>
</SparseArray>

Real, captured output loading this file:

Loaded OK. support_vectors_ = [[10. 20. 30.]]
Expected per PMML spec (Indices 1-based positional pairing with Entries): [[30, 10, 20]]

No exception is raised, but the loaded support-vector values are wrong, silently corrupting any predictions made with this model.

3. sequential_control.pmml — negative control

<SparseArray type="real" n="3">
  <Indices>1 2 3</Indices>
  <Entries>10 20 30</Entries>
</SparseArray>

Real, captured output loading this file:

Negative control (sequential Indices=1,2,3): support_vectors_ = [[10. 20. 30.]] -- correct, no bug visible here

This case loads correctly, because when the index value happens to equal its position, the buggy entries[index] lookup accidentally coincides with the correct entries[position] lookup. This is why ordinary/unit-test PMML fixtures — which tend to use sequential toy data — would not have surfaced this bug.

Verification environment

• Real execution against a fresh checkout of iamDecode/sklearn-pmml-model (v1.0.8) at /home/kali/pmml-verify-build/sklearn-pmml-model.
• Confirmed byte-identical to current GitHub master's sklearn_pmml_model/base.py via diff against a freshly fetched copy from raw.githubusercontent.com (included here as latest_base.py for identity confirmation).
• All three PoC files loaded through the library's own public, documented API entry point, auto_detect_estimator() — no internal/private functions called directly.

Dedup check

GitHub code/issue search API against iamDecode/sklearn-pmml-model for "SparseArray" and "IndexError" both returned total_count: 0. repos/.../security-advisories returned []. Checked 2026-07-12.

This finding is a distinct defect from an already-filed SparseArray @n uncontrolled-allocation finding against the same project: different root cause (Indices/Entries pairing logic vs. unbounded pre-allocation of the values list), different line, and not remediated by that finding's fix (bounding @n) since this bug is independent of the size of @n.

Suggested fix

Pair indices and entries positionally, per the PMML spec, e.g.:

for pos, index in enumerate(indices):
    values[index] = entries[pos]

(equivalently, for index, entry in zip(indices, entries): values[index] = entry), and validate len(indices) == len(entries) and that every index is within bounds of values, raising a clear ValueError/Exception rather than an uncaught IndexError for malformed input.

Files in this repo

• wrong_indices.pmml — PoC 1 (IndexError DoS)
• silent_corruption.pmml — PoC 2 (silent corruption)
• sequential_control.pmml — PoC 3 (negative control)
• latest_base.py — freshly fetched copy of current GitHub master sklearn_pmml_model/base.py, used to confirm the verified build matches the currently released code.