Django modwsgi check_password timing attack before 6.0.2/5.2.11/4.2.28
CVE-2025-13473 Published on February 3, 2026
Username enumeration through timing difference in mod_wsgi authentication handler
An issue was discovered in 6.0 before 6.0.2, 5.2 before 5.2.11, and 4.2 before 4.2.28.
The `django.contrib.auth.handlers.modwsgi.check_password()` function for authentication via `mod_wsgi` allows remote attackers to enumerate users via a timing attack.
Earlier, unsupported Django series (such as 5.0.x, 4.1.x, and 3.2.x) were not evaluated and may also be affected.
Django would like to thank Stackered for reporting this issue.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2025-13473 can be exploited with network access, and requires small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a high impact on confidentiality, with no impact on integrity and availability.
Timeline
Initial report received.
Vulnerability confirmed. 7 days later.
Security release issued. 76 days later.
Weakness Type
Observable Timing Discrepancy
Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not. In security-relevant contexts, even small variations in timing can be exploited by attackers to indirectly infer certain details about the product's internal operations. For example, in some cryptographic algorithms, attackers can use timing differences to infer certain properties about a private key, making the key easier to guess. Timing discrepancies effectively form a timing side channel.
Products Associated with CVE-2025-13473
stack.watch emails you whenever new vulnerabilities are published in Django Project Django or Canonical Ubuntu Linux. Just hit a watch button to start following.
Affected Versions
djangoproject Django:- Version 6.0 and below 6.0.2 is affected.
- Version 6.0.2 is unaffected.
- Version 5.2 and below 5.2.11 is affected.
- Version 5.2.11 is unaffected.
- Version 4.2 and below 4.2.28 is affected.
- Version 4.2.28 is unaffected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.