joserfc: Unbounded JWE General JSON `recipients` Array Leads to CPU Exhaustion (DoS) via Repeated RSA Private-Key Decryption (authlib joserfc)
At a glance
- Source
- NVD
- EPSS
- EPSS 0.23 % · percentile 14 ()
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Published
- Updated
- Assigner
- GitHub_M
- NVD status
- Deferred
Description
joserfc is a Python library that provides an implementation of several JSON Object Signing and Encryption (JOSE) standards. Prior to 1.7.5, joserfc.jwe.decrypt_json() accepts a JWE General JSON Serialization recipients array without a count limit and calls decrypt_cek() for every entry. An unauthenticated attacker who can submit a JWE to an endpoint using an RSA key-management algorithm can choose the number of private-key decryption operations performed by one request. The verify_all_recipients option does not reduce this work because the affected loop processes every recipient before consulting that setting, allowing repeated requests to exhaust service CPU without affecting confidentiality or integrity. This issue is fixed in version 1.7.5.
Weaknesses (CWE)
- CWE-400 — Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
References
Scores
| Version | Score | Vector | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 7.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H | GitHub_M |
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 7.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H | NVD · security-advisories@github.com (Secondary) |
Advisories
- GHSA-jpxq-7h8p-2q76 — joserfc: Unbounded JWE General JSON `recipients` Array Leads to CPU Exhaustion (DoS) via Repeated RSA Private-Key Decryption
European references
- ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-113392
- GCVE · GCVE-0-2026-119283
Affected products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| authlib · joserfc | affected < 1.7.5 |
Sources
| Source | Licence |
|---|---|
| CVE List (CVEProject cvelistV5) | CVE Program Terms of Use |
| EPSS (FIRST.org) | FIRST — attribution requested |
| ENISA EUVD | ENISA — reproduction authorised, source acknowledged |
| NVD (NIST) via fkie-cad/nvd-json-data-feeds | Public domain — this product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD |