Summary
HTTP Request Smuggling in waitress
This has been fixed in Waitress 2.1.1
Workarounds
When deploying a proxy in front of waitress, turning on any and all functionality to make sure that the request matches the RFC7230 standard. Certain proxy servers may not have this functionality though and users are encouraged to upgrade to the latest version of waitress instead.
References
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in the Github issue tracker (if not security related/sensitive)
- Email us at [email protected] (If security related or sensitive)
Impact
When using Waitress behind a proxy that does not properly validate the incoming HTTP request matches the RFC7230 standard, Waitress and the frontend proxy may disagree on where one request starts and where it ends.
This would allow requests to be smuggled via the front-end proxy to waitress and later behavior.
There are two classes of vulnerability that may lead to request smuggling that are addressed by this advisory:
- The use of Python's
int()to parse strings into integers, leading to+10to be parsed as10, or0x01to be parsed as1, where as the standard specifies that the string should contain only digits or hex digits. - Waitress does not support chunk extensions, however it was discarding them without validating that they did not contain illegal characters
CVE-2022-24761 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.1.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-24761? CVE-2022-24761 is a high-severity security vulnerability in waitress (pip), affecting versions < 2.1.1. It is fixed in 2.1.1.
- How severe is CVE-2022-24761? CVE-2022-24761 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of waitress are affected by CVE-2022-24761? waitress (pip) versions < 2.1.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-24761? Yes. CVE-2022-24761 is fixed in 2.1.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-24761 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-24761 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-24761 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-24761? Upgrade
waitressto 2.1.1 or later.