8.2
HIGH CVSS 4.0
CVE-2026-11972
tarfile opened in streaming mode mishandles EOF
Description

When using the "tarfile" module with a file opened in "streaming mode" (mode="r|") the tarfile module did not properly handle EOF, making archive parsing take exponentially longer.

INFO

Published Date :

June 23, 2026, 11:16 p.m.

Last Modified :

June 30, 2026, 4:16 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-11972 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Python python
2 Python cpython
1 Python_software_foundation cpython
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
CVSS 4.0 HIGH 28c92f92-d60d-412d-b760-e73465c3df22
CVSS 4.0 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Update the Python interpreter to fix an infinite loop vulnerability in tarfile module.
  • Update Python interpreter to a patched version.
  • Avoid using tarfile in streaming mode.
  • Review tarfile usage for potential infinite loops.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-11972 is associated with the following CWEs:

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-11972 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-11972 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Jun. 30, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/3f031d431f80668e14f3bc066bbf4369cd9281b9
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/4ce6bf7c8aa7725828a38981c306f214c1f29365
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/7f0dc59c9a70f8f3b4da33d7c4a2ba552a7acc21
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/e86666c9dd256d52d0fbef6feb1ea4a51768fdec
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/eb63c0f94dfcbea7fda8eab6213818e134d67192
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/f50bf13566189c8d0ce5a814f33eff3d89951896
    Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://github.com/python/cpython', 'vendor': 'Python Software Foundation', 'modules': ['tarfile'], 'product': 'CPython', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '3.16.0', 'versionType': 'python'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] [{'repo': 'https://github.com/python/cpython', 'vendor': 'Python Software Foundation', 'modules': ['tarfile'], 'product': 'CPython', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '3.15.0', 'versionType': 'python'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}]
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Jun. 24, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-11972', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-06-24T15:33:49.665045Z'}
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Jun. 24, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://github.com/python/cpython', 'vendor': 'Python Software Foundation', 'modules': ['tarfile'], 'product': 'CPython', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '3.15.0', 'versionType': 'python'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] [{'repo': 'https://github.com/python/cpython', 'vendor': 'Python Software Foundation', 'modules': ['tarfile'], 'product': 'CPython', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '3.16.0', 'versionType': 'python'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}]
    Changed Description When using the "tarfile" module with a file opened in "streaming mode" (mode="r|") the tarfile module did not properly handle EOF, meaning an archive could be parsed in an infinite loop. When using the "tarfile" module with a file opened in "streaming mode" (mode="r|") the tarfile module did not properly handle EOF, making archive parsing take exponentially longer.
    Removed Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/3f031d431f80668e14f3bc066bbf4369cd9281b9
    Removed Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/4ce6bf7c8aa7725828a38981c306f214c1f29365
    Removed Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/e86666c9dd256d52d0fbef6feb1ea4a51768fdec
    Removed Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/f50bf13566189c8d0ce5a814f33eff3d89951896
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Jun. 24, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/3f031d431f80668e14f3bc066bbf4369cd9281b9
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/4ce6bf7c8aa7725828a38981c306f214c1f29365
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/e86666c9dd256d52d0fbef6feb1ea4a51768fdec
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/f50bf13566189c8d0ce5a814f33eff3d89951896
    Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://github.com/python/cpython', 'vendor': 'Python Software Foundation', 'modules': ['tarfile'], 'product': 'CPython', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '3.16.0', 'versionType': 'python'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] [{'repo': 'https://github.com/python/cpython', 'vendor': 'Python Software Foundation', 'modules': ['tarfile'], 'product': 'CPython', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '3.15.0', 'versionType': 'python'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}]
  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Jun. 23, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://github.com/python/cpython', 'vendor': 'Python Software Foundation', 'modules': ['tarfile'], 'product': 'CPython', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '3.16.0', 'versionType': 'python'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}]
    Added Description When using the "tarfile" module with a file opened in "streaming mode" (mode="r|") the tarfile module did not properly handle EOF, meaning an archive could be parsed in an infinite loop.
    Added CVSS V4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/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
    Added CWE CWE-252
    Added CWE CWE-606
    Added CWE CWE-770
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/issues/151981
    Added Reference https://github.com/python/cpython/pull/151982
    Added Reference https://mail.python.org/archives/list/[email protected]/thread/AXPSKKTSRKXTTJULW3XSIC74WZNAAPPB/
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.