CVE-2025-53643
AIOHTTP request smuggling via unparsed trailers in its Python parser.
- CVSS 1.7
- CWE-444
- Input Validation and Sanitization
- Remote
AIOHTTP is an asynchronous HTTP client/server framework for asyncio and Python. Prior to version 3.12.14, the Python parser is vulnerable to a request smuggling vulnerability due to not parsing trailer sections of an HTTP request. If a pure Python version of aiohttp is installed (i.e. without the usual C extensions) or AIOHTTP_NO_EXTENSIONS is enabled, then an attacker may be able to execute a request smuggling attack to bypass certain firewalls or proxy protections. Version 3.12.14 contains a patch for this issue.
- CWE
- CWE-444
- CVSS base score
- 1.7
- Published
- 2025-07-14
- OWASP
- A03 Injection
- Orthogonal defect classification
- Interface
- Code defect classification
- Incorrect Algorithm
- Category
- Input Validation and Sanitization
- Subcategory
- Insecure Parsing or Deserialization
- Accessibility scope
- Remote
- Impact
- Unauthorized Access
- Affected component
- AIOHTTP
- Fixed by upgrading
- Yes
Solution
Upgrade AIOHTTP to version 3.12.14.
Vulnerable code sample
import asyncio
from aiohttp import web, ClientSession
# This code represents a simple aiohttp server application.
# In a real-world scenario with a vulnerable aiohttp version (e.g., a hypothetical
# pure-python parser before a fix), this server would incorrectly process a
# crafted request containing trailers, making it susceptible to request smuggling.
# The vulnerability is not in this application code itself, but in the underlying
# aiohttp parser that this code would run on.
async def handle_request(request):
"""
A simple handler that reads the request body and echoes it back.
On a vulnerable version, the parser would prematurely stop reading the body
if a malicious, chunked request with trailers is sent, leaving the
"smuggled" part of the request in the buffer for the next request.
"""
print("--- New Request Received ---")
try:
# The vulnerable parser would stop reading before the smuggled data.
body = await request.read()
print(f"Request path: {request.path}")
print(f"Headers: {request.headers}")
print(f"Body processed by server: {body.decode(errors='ignore')}")
return web.Response(
text=f"Request to {request.path} processed.",
status=200
)
except Exception as e:
print(f"An error occurred: {e}")
return web.Response(text="Error processing request", status=500)
def create_app():
"""
Creates and sets up the aiohttp web application.
"""
app = web.Application()
# This route would be the target for the request smuggling attack.
app.router.add_post('/vulnerable_endpoint', handle_request)
app.router.add_get('/vulnerable_endpoint', handle_request)
print("Server configured. Routes:")
for resource in app.router.resources():
print(resource)
return app
if __name__ == '__main__':
# To simulate the conditions described in the CVE, this server would need
# to be run with a vulnerable version of aiohttp and with C extensions disabled,
# for example, by setting the environment variable AIOHTTP_NO_EXTENSIONS=1.
#
# Example command to run (hypothetically):
# AIOHTTP_NO_EXTENSIONS=1 python your_script_name.py
app = create_app()
print("\nStarting vulnerable server representation on http://0.0.0.0:8080")
print("Post a request to http://0.0.0.0:8080/vulnerable_endpoint to see server logs.")
web.run_app(app, host='0.0.0.0', port=8080)Patched code sample
import io
def fixed_parser_logic(request_stream: io.BytesIO):
"""
Simulates the fixed parser logic that correctly processes HTTP trailer
headers, which is the core of the fix for CVE-2025-53643.
A vulnerable parser would incorrectly stop processing after the
zero-length chunk, leaving the trailer headers and the subsequent
smuggled request in the stream buffer to be misinterpreted by a
downstream server.
"""
headers = {}
body = b""
trailers = {}
# Step 1: Parse headers (simplified for demonstration)
while True:
line = request_stream.readline()
# The header section ends with an empty line
if line in (b'\r\n', b'\n', b''):
break
# Ignore the request line for this example
if b':' in line:
key, value = line.decode().split(":", 1)
headers[key.strip()] = value.strip()
if headers.get("Transfer-Encoding", "").lower() != "chunked":
print("This demonstration requires a chunked request.")
return
# Step 2: Parse chunked body
while True:
size_line = request_stream.readline().strip()
if not size_line:
continue
chunk_size = int(size_line, 16)
if chunk_size == 0:
# Reached the end of the chunked body.
# A vulnerable parser would stop here.
# A fixed parser proceeds to handle trailers.
break
# Read the chunk data and the trailing CRLF
body += request_stream.read(chunk_size)
request_stream.read(2)
# Step 3: THE FIX - Correctly parse the trailer section
# This loop consumes the trailer headers until an empty line is found,
# ensuring they are part of the first request.
while True:
line = request_stream.readline()
if line in (b'\r\n', b'\n', b''):
# The empty line signifies the end of the trailers
# and the true end of the HTTP message.
break
key, value = line.decode().strip().split(":", 1)
trailers[key.strip()] = value.strip()
# Step 4: Show parsed components and what remains in the stream
remaining_data_in_buffer = request_stream.read()
print("--- Demonstrating Fixed Parser Behavior ---")
print(f"\n[OK] Parsed Body: {parsed_body.decode()!r}")
print(f"[OK] Parsed Trailers: {parsed_trailers}")
print("\n--- Buffer State After Parsing ---")
if remaining_data_in_buffer:
print("[FIX EFFECTIVE] Smuggled request was NOT parsed and remains in the buffer:")
print("------------------")
print(remaining_data_in_buffer.decode())
print("------------------")
else:
print("[OK] No data left in buffer.")
if __name__ == '__main__':
# This payload contains a valid chunked request followed by trailer headers
# and then a second, "smuggled" request.
request_with_trailers_and_smuggled_data = b"""POST /upload HTTP/1.1
Host: an-example.com
Content-Type: text/plain
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
7
aiohttp
0
X-Request-Info: trailer-data-here
GET /admin HTTP/1.1
Host: an-example.com
Connection: keep-alive
"""
# Create a stream to simulate network I/O
stream = io.BytesIO(request_with_trailers_and_smuggled_data)
# Run the demonstration
fixed_parser_logic(stream)Payload
POST / HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable-server.com
Connection: keep-alive
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
0\r\n
GET /admin/delete?user=all HTTP/1.1\r\n
Host: vulnerable-server.com\r\n
Content-Length: 10\r\n
\r\n
x=1
Cite this entry
@misc{vaitp:cve202553643,
title = {{AIOHTTP request smuggling via unparsed trailers in its Python parser.}},
author = {Bogaerts, Fr\'ed\'eric and Ivaki, Naghmeh and Fonseca, Jos\'e},
year = {2025},
note = {VAITP Python Vulnerability Dataset, entry CVE-2025-53643},
howpublished = {\url{https://netpack.pt/vaitp/vulnerability/CVE-2025-53643/}}
}
Introducing the "VAITP dataset": a specialized repository of Python vulnerabilities and patches, meticulously compiled for the use of the security research community. As Python's prominence grows, understanding and addressing potential security vulnerabilities become crucial. Crafted by and for the cybersecurity community, this dataset offers a valuable resource for researchers, analysts, and developers to analyze and mitigate the security risks associated with Python. Through the comprehensive exploration of vulnerabilities and corresponding patches, the VAITP dataset fosters a safer and more resilient Python ecosystem, encouraging collaborative advancements in programming security.
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
Sun Tzu – “The Art of War”
:: Shaping the future through research and ingenuity ::
