vulnerability / NVI-00010603 / Revision 2
Twisted: Denial of Service in the Twisted IMAP4 Server via a Negative Literal Size in SEARCH
GitHub lists this reviewed advisory for Twisted. Published version ranges and source prerequisites are shown below; this is not an inspection of a visitor’s application.
This report has not inspected your inventory, configuration, deployed build, reachability or evidence. A catalog listing and a severity score do not establish exposure or compromise.
01 / Meaning
Why it matters
Published affected context helps an owner decide what evidence to gather. This report has not examined your application.
4.9 medium
GitHub source severity; exploitability and local consequence require separate evidence.
As of · GitHub Advisory Database
0.520%
FIRST EPSS model v2026.06.15; exploitation probability over 30 days, percentile 0.44218. Missing scores are unknown.
As of · FIRST EPSS
02 / Applicability
The affected context
Affected versions, configuration prerequisites and known exclusions are public. Confirm each one against the deployed service.
Twisted
source listed<= 26.4.0
## Summary An infinite-loop vulnerability (CWE-835) in the Twisted IMAP4 server lets an authenticated client freeze the whole process with one small command. `twisted.mail.imap4.parseNestedParens` reads an IMAP literal size with `int()` and never rejects a negative value. A negative size such as `{-100}` drives the parser cursor negative, and because a negative Python index wraps around the end of the string instead of raising, the scanning loop never terminates. It runs synchronously on the single-threaded reactor, so one `SEARCH` command holds the reactor at full CPU forever and every other connection stops being served. ## Details Meeting an inline literal, `parseNestedParens` reads the size between the braces and advances the cursor past the body: ```python # twisted/mail/imap4.py parseNestedParens literalSize = int(s[i + 1 : end]) # no sign check contentStack[-1].append((s[end + 3 : end + 3 + literalSize],)) i = end + 3 + literalSize # negative size -> i goes negative ``` `int(b"-100")` is `-100`, so `i` goes negative; the loop condition `i < len(s)` stays true and `s[i : i + 1]` on a negative index never raises, so the cursor cycles forever.
03 / Response
What to do next
- investigate
Identify the exact component and deployed version, examine the linked publisher’s conditions, and retain evidence of any mitigation.
Confirm current vendor support, compatibility and deployment evidence. This report has not tested a fix in your system. FIRST EPSS
A fixed release is not deployment evidence.
Check current vendor support and compatibility. After making a change, verify the deployed build and relevant runtime conditions. Keep the evidence, owner and time. An updated lockfile alone does not prove what is running.
04 / Limits
What this report cannot establish
- Customer inventory, deployment, reachability and exploitation have not been inspected.
05 / Provenance
Sources you can inspect
Each assertion retains its source. Mirrored records may repeat one underlying publisher; additional links are not independent corroboration.
- GHSA-2qrf-pqgx-qh9v ↗
GitHub Advisory Database · vendor advisory
Observed . GitHub Advisory Database; CC-BY-4.0. Each advisory links its original attribution. Null normalizes fields.
- CVE-2026-115774 ↗
FIRST EPSS · official catalog
Observed . FIRST EPSS; probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, not local compromise. Dataset date/model retained; FIRST services terms apply.
Public revision history
Only published revisions appear here. Routine fetches do not create a material-change event.
- Revision 2 ·
Dated EPSS estimate updated; this is not a new disclosure or proof of exploitation.
- Revision 1 ·
First indexed by Null; source disclosure date is shown separately.