Pipecat AI Framework RCE via LivekitFrameSerializer (CVE-2025-62373)

Executive Summary

A critical unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2025-62373) has been identified in Pipecat, the widely-used open-source Python framework for building real-time voice and multimodal AI conversational agents. The flaw carries a CVSS score of 9.8 and resides in the optional LivekitFrameSerializer class present in versions 0.0.41 through 0.0.93.

The LivekitFrameSerializer is a non-default, undocumented, and now-deprecated serializer class originally intended for LiveKit integration. Due to an unsafe frame handling flaw, an attacker who can send crafted messages to a Pipecat service using this serializer can achieve arbitrary code execution on the underlying server. All deployments running Pipecat versions 0.0.41–0.0.93 should upgrade immediately.

Vulnerability Overview

Affected Versions

Technical Analysis

Root Cause

The LivekitFrameSerializer class in the pipecat Python package serializes and deserializes frame objects exchanged over LiveKit transport channels. The vulnerability stems from unsafe handling of attacker-controlled byte payloads during the deserialization phase — the class fails to validate or sanitize the structure of incoming serialized frames before processing them.

An attacker who delivers a specially crafted frame payload to the endpoint can trigger arbitrary code execution in the Pipecat process context. The class is:

• Non-default: Not instantiated unless explicitly referenced in user code
• Undocumented: Absent from official Pipecat documentation
• Deprecated: Marked for removal as of v0.0.94

Despite being non-default, the class ships in the distributed package and any integrations that reference LivekitFrameSerializer — directly or through third-party adapters — are affected.

Attack Flow

1. Attacker discovers a Pipecat service using LivekitFrameSerializer
2. Attacker crafts a malicious serialized frame payload
3. Payload is sent over the LiveKit channel to the Pipecat endpoint
4. Pipecat processes the payload via LivekitFrameSerializer without validation
5. Malicious code executes in the Pipecat process context
6. Attacker achieves RCE with the permissions of the Pipecat process

Exploitation Conditions

• Pipecat version 0.0.41–0.0.93 must be running
• The service must reference LivekitFrameSerializer (non-default but discoverable in certain configurations)
• Network access to the Pipecat service endpoint is required
• No credentials or prior authentication needed

Impact Assessment

Immediate Remediation

Step 1: Upgrade Pipecat

# Upgrade to the patched version
pip install --upgrade pipecat
 
# Verify the installed version
pip show pipecat | grep Version
# Expected: 0.0.94 or higher

For projects using requirements.txt or pyproject.toml:

# Update requirements.txt
sed -i 's/pipecat==.*/pipecat>=0.0.94/' requirements.txt
 
# Reinstall
pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 2: Audit for LivekitFrameSerializer Usage

# Search codebase for references to the vulnerable class
grep -r "LivekitFrameSerializer" . --include="*.py"
 
# Also check installed packages that may depend on pipecat
pip list | grep pipecat

If LivekitFrameSerializer is found, remove references and use the replacement transport serializer per the updated Pipecat documentation.

Step 3: Restrict Network Exposure

# If upgrade is delayed, restrict Pipecat service to internal networks only
# Example using iptables (adjust interface/port as needed)
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 7880 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 7880 -j DROP

Step 4: Rotate Secrets and Audit Runtime Environment

Review environment variables accessible to the Pipecat process and rotate any API keys, tokens, or credentials for connected services (OpenAI, Anthropic, Deepgram, Cartesia, etc.) as a precaution if exploitation cannot be ruled out.

Detection Indicators

Post-Remediation Checklist

1. Upgrade Pipecat to v0.0.94 or later on all deployments
2. Audit all codebases for LivekitFrameSerializer references and remove them
3. Rotate all API keys, tokens, and secrets accessible by the Pipecat process
4. Review recent process logs for unusual subprocess spawning or network connections
5. Scan writable directories for unauthorized files or persistence mechanisms
6. Restrict Pipecat network exposure to required internal sources only
7. Update requirements.txt / pyproject.toml to pin to v0.0.94+
8. Test existing LiveKit integrations against the updated serialization API
9. Monitor for exploitation attempts in application and network logs

References

• NVD — CVE-2025-62373
• Pipecat GitHub Repository
• CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data