CVE-2026-59980

hpack: Unbounded variable integer decoding can cause run-away computation on malformed input

MEDIUM
6.3
CVSS Score
Published: September 23, 2026 at 10:07 PM UTC
Updated: September 30, 2026 at 05:32 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorHpack

Using hpack by python-hyper?

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Severity
MEDIUM6.3
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.3%
SSVC
No known exploit

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.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v < 4.2.0
Affected range stops below 4.2.0, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet, and no fixed version or vendor advisory is recorded against it.

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

6.3MEDIUMGitHub_M
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusDEFERRED
CWE
CWE-400

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