Summary
When the host header does not match a configured host, twisted.web.vhost.NameVirtualHost will return a NoResource resource which renders the Host header unescaped into the 404 response allowing HTML and script injection.
Example configuration:
from twisted.web.server import Site
from twisted.web.vhost import NameVirtualHost
from twisted.internet import reactor
resource = NameVirtualHost()
site = Site(resource)
reactor.listenTCP(8080, site)
reactor.run()
Output:
❯ curl -H"Host:<h1>HELLO THERE</h1>" http://localhost:8080/
<html>
<head><title>404 - No Such Resource</title></head>
<body>
<h1>No Such Resource</h1>
<p>host b'<h1>hello there</h1>' not in vhost map</p>
</body>
</html>
This vulnerability was introduced in f49041bb67792506d85aeda9cf6157e92f8048f4 and first appeared in the 0.9.4 release.
Impact
Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.
CVE-2022-39348 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (22.10.0rc1); 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.
Remediation advice
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-39348? CVE-2022-39348 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in twisted (pip), affecting versions >= 0.9.4, < 22.10.0rc1. It is fixed in 22.10.0rc1. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- How severe is CVE-2022-39348? CVE-2022-39348 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). 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 twisted are affected by CVE-2022-39348? twisted (pip) versions >= 0.9.4, < 22.10.0rc1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-39348? Yes. CVE-2022-39348 is fixed in 22.10.0rc1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-39348 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-39348 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-2022-39348 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-2022-39348? Upgrade
twistedto 22.10.0rc1 or later.