CVE-2026-23842 is a high-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in chatterbot (pip), affecting versions <= 1.2.10. It is fixed in 1.2.11.
Summary ChatterBot versions up to 1.2.10 are vulnerable to a denial-of-service condition caused by improper database session and connection pool management. Concurrent invocations of the getresponse() method can exhaust the underlying SQLAlchemy connection pool, resulting in persistent service unavailability and requiring a manual restart to recover. Details ChatterBot relies on SQLAlchemy for database access and uses a connection pool with default limits. The getresponse() method does not enforce concurrency limits, rate limiting, or explicit session lifecycle controls. When multiple threads concurrently invoke getresponse(), database connections are rapidly consumed and not released in a timely manner. This leads to exhaustion of the SQLAlchemy QueuePool, causing subsequent requests to block and eventually fail with a TimeoutError. This issue can be triggered without authentication in deployments where ChatterBot is exposed as a chatbot service, making it exploitable by remote attackers to cause denial of service. PoC Video: https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4ee845c4-b847-4854-84ec-4b2fb2f7090f PoC Install ChatterBot version 1.2.10. Use the default database configuration (SQLite / SQLAlchemy). Run the following Python script to invoke concurrent requests: from chatterbot import ChatBot import threading bot = ChatBot("dos-test") def attack(): bot.getresponse("hello") threads = [] for in range(30): t = threading.Thread(target=attack) t.start() threads.append(t) for t in threads: t.join() Observe that the application becomes unresponsive and raises SQLAlchemy TimeoutError exceptions indicating exhaustion of the connection pool. Impact This vulnerability allows an attacker to trigger a denial-of-service condition by exhausting the database connection pool. Once triggered, the chatbot becomes unresponsive to legitimate users and requires a manual restart to restore functionality. All deployments of ChatterBot version 1.2.10 or earlier that allow concurrent access to the getresponse() method are impacted.
Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.
CVE-2026-23842 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 (1.2.11). Upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
pip
chatterbot (<= 1.2.10)chatterbot → 1.2.11 (pip)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.
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Already deployed Kodem? See CVE-2026-23842 in your environment →Upgrade chatterbot to 1.2.11 or later to resolve this vulnerability.
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CVE-2026-23842 is a high-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in chatterbot (pip), affecting versions <= 1.2.10. It is fixed in 1.2.11. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
CVE-2026-23842 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.
chatterbot (pip) versions <= 1.2.10 is affected.
Yes. CVE-2026-23842 is fixed in 1.2.11. Upgrade to this version or later.
Whether CVE-2026-23842 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
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.
Upgrade chatterbot to 1.2.11 or later.