CVE-2023-46137

Twisted is an event-based framework for internet applications. Prior to version 23.10.0rc1, when sending multiple HTTP requests in one TCP packet, twisted.web will process the requests asynchronously without guaranteeing the response order. If one of the endpoints is controlled by an attacker, the attacker can delay the response on purpose to manipulate the response of the second request when a victim launched two requests using HTTP pipeline. Version 23.10.0rc1 contains a patch for this issue.

Details

There's an example faulty program:

from twisted.internet import reactor, endpoints
from twisted.web import server
from twisted.web.proxy import ReverseProxyResource
from twisted.web.resource import Resource

class Second(Resource):
    isLeaf = True
    def render_GET(self, request):
        return b'SECOND\n'

class First(Resource):
    isLeaf = True
    def render_GET(self, request):
        def send_response():
            request.write(b'FIRST DELAYED\n')
            request.finish()
        reactor.callLater(0.5, send_response)
        return server.NOT_DONE_YET

root = Resource()

root.putChild(b'second', Second())
root.putChild(b'first', First())

endpoint = endpoints.TCP4ServerEndpoint(reactor, 8080)
endpoint.listen(server.Site(root))
reactor.run()

When two requests for /first and /second are sent in the same order, the second request will be responded to first.

echo -en "GET /first HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: a\r\n\r\nGET /second HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: a\r\n\r\n" | nc localhost 8080

CVE-2023-46137 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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 (23.10.0rc1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2023-46137? CVE-2023-46137 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in twisted (pip), affecting versions < 23.10.0rc1. It is fixed in 23.10.0rc1.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-46137? CVE-2023-46137 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (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.
3. Which versions of twisted are affected by CVE-2023-46137? twisted (pip) versions < 23.10.0rc1 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-46137? Yes. CVE-2023-46137 is fixed in 23.10.0rc1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-46137 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-46137 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-46137 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2023-46137? Upgrade twisted to 23.10.0rc1 or later.