Resource exhaustion in Python-Markdown Markdown

CVE-2025-69534

Python-Markdown version 3.8 contain a vulnerability where malformed HTML-like sequences can cause html.parser.HTMLParser to raise an unhandled AssertionError during Markdown parsing. Because Python-Markdown does not catch this exception, any application that processes attacker-controlled Markdown may crash. This enables remote, unauthenticated Denial of Service in web applications, documentation systems, CI/CD pipelines, and any service that renders untrusted Markdown. The issue was acknowledged by the vendor and fixed in version 3.8.1. This issue causes a remote Denial of Service in any application parsing untrusted Markdown, and can lead to Information Disclosure through uncaught exceptions.

Vulnerability class: DoS (Denial of Service)

EPSS: 0.006 (43.7th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-69534?
CVE-2025-69534 is a high-severity vulnerability in Python-Markdown Markdown, classified under Uncontrolled Resource Consumption. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-03-05.
How severe is CVE-2025-69534?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.