Twisted <26.4rc2: DoS via DNS decompression pointer chain
CVE-2026-42304 Published on May 13, 2026
Twisted: Denial of Service (DoS) in twisted.names via Crafted DNS Compression Pointer Chains
Twisted is an event-based framework for internet applications, supporting Python 3.6+. Prior to 26.4.0rc2, the twisted.names module is vulnerable to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack via resource exhaustion during DNS name decompression. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can exploit this by sending a crafted TCP DNS packet containing deeply chained compression pointers. This flaw bypasses previous loop-prevention logic, causing the single-threaded Twisted reactor to hang while processing millions of recursive lookups, effectively freezing the server. This vulnerability is fixed in 26.4.0rc2.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-42304 is exploitable with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. An automatable proof of concept (POC) exploit exists. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a high impact on availability.
Weakness Types
What is a Resource Exhaustion Vulnerability?
The software does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource, thereby enabling an actor to influence the amount of resources consumed, eventually leading to the exhaustion of available resources.
CVE-2026-42304 has been classified to as a Resource Exhaustion vulnerability or weakness.
Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity
An algorithm in a product has an inefficient worst-case computational complexity that may be detrimental to system performance and can be triggered by an attacker, typically using crafted manipulations that ensure that the worst case is being reached.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-42304
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