6.3
MEDIUM CVSS 4.0
CVE-2026-59980
hpack: Unbounded variable integer decoding can cause run-away computation on malformed input
Description

hpack is an HTTP/2 Header Encoding for Python. Prior to version 4.2.0, unbounded variable integer decoding can cause run-away computation on malformed input leading to O(n^2) runtime, effectively blocking further processing with large enough unsanitized input. A fix is available in python-hyper/hpack v4.2.0 to restricted variable integer decoding to uint32 to prevent run-away computation. As a workaround, sanitize input to hpack decoder for long sequences of `0xFF` values to prevent malicious use.

INFO

Published Date :

Sept. 23, 2026, 11:17 p.m.

Last Modified :

Sept. 23, 2026, 11:17 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-59980 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.

No affected product recoded yet

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 4.0 MEDIUM [email protected]
Solution
Update hpack to version 4.2.0 or later to restrict integer decoding and prevent DoS.
  • Update hpack to version 4.2.0 or later.
  • Sanitize input to decoder for long 0xFF sequences.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-59980 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-59980 weaknesses.

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-2026-59980 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-59980 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.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Sep. 23, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description hpack is an HTTP/2 Header Encoding for Python. Prior to version 4.2.0, unbounded variable integer decoding can cause run-away computation on malformed input leading to O(n^2) runtime, effectively blocking further processing with large enough unsanitized input. A fix is available in python-hyper/hpack v4.2.0 to restricted variable integer decoding to uint32 to prevent run-away computation. As a workaround, sanitize input to hpack decoder for long sequences of `0xFF` values to prevent malicious use.
    Added CVSS V4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/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-400
    Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/59xxx/CVE-2026-59980.json">CVE-2026-59980</a>
    Added Reference https://cs.opensource.google/go/x/net/+/master:http2/hpack/hpack.go;l=468;drc=8e2b117aee74f6b86c207a808b0255de45c0a18a
    Added Reference https://docs.rs/http2/0.5.19/src/http2/hpack/decoder.rs.html#403
    Added Reference https://github.com/python-hyper/hpack/commit/8cfb02c547740e16dbfe7aba77bad84b297cec2c
    Added Reference https://github.com/python-hyper/hpack/security/advisories/GHSA-8v8h-hg4w-mvq2
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.