CVE-2022-48564
python: DoS when processing malformed Apple Property List files in binary format
Severity
ModerateRed Hat Product Security
CVSS 3.1
Review impact separately from score.
Published · August 22, 2023
Updated · November 3, 2026
Description
A vulnerability was found in the Python core plistlib library within the read_ints() function in the plistlib.py file. In malformed input, the implementation can be manipulated to create an argument for struct.unpack(). This issue can lead to excessive CPU and memory consumption, resulting in a MemError, as it constructs the 'format' argument for unpack(). This flaw allows an attacker to employ a binary plist input, potentially executing a denial of service (DoS) attack by exhausting CPU and RAM resources.
Statement
Versions of python36:3.6/python36 as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 are marked as 'Not affected' as they just provide "symlinks" to the main python3 component, which provides the actual interpreter of the Python programming language.
CVSS score applicability
The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.
CVSS / CWE
CVSS 3.1 · 6.5CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CWE-400 · Uncontrolled Resource Consumption