CVE-2025-13837Public exploit

Process crash via unbounded binary plist allocation

Published Dec 1, 2025 · Updated Mar 3, 2026

Uncontrolled resource consumption in CPython plistlib allows local users to crash a process by loading a crafted binary plist. Binary plist length fields can specify reads up to 2^64 bytes, and the vulnerable parser passes those sizes directly to file read operations that preallocate the requested buffer. Exploitation requires an application or user to process an untrusted binary plist; memory exhaustion interrupts the parsing process and its dependent workload.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.22%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Uncontrolled resource consumption in CPython plistlib allows local users to crash a process by loading a crafted binary plist. Binary plist length fields can specify reads up to 2^64 bytes, and the vulnerable parser passes those sizes directly to file read operations that preallocate the requested buffer. Exploitation requires an application or user to process an untrusted binary plist; memory exhaustion interrupts the parsing process and its dependent workload.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-13837
Published
Dec 1, 2025
Updated
Mar 3, 2026
Vendor
Python Software Foundation
Product
CPython
Classifications
CWE-400, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 1, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 3, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <3.10.20
  2. Affected versionversion=3.11.0 <3.11.15
  3. Affected versionversion=3.12.0 <3.12.13
  4. Affected versionversion=3.13.0 <3.13.10
  5. Affected versionversion=3.14.0 <3.14.1
  6. Affected versionversion=3.15.0a1 <3.15.0a3

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Python Software Foundation · CPythonversion=0 <3.10.20; version=3.11.0 <3.11.15; version=3.12.0 <3.12.13; version=3.13.0 <3.13.10; version=3.14.0 <3.14.1; version=3.15.0a1 <3.15.0a3

Published CVSS scores

2.1Python Software FoundationCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N
5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-400Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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