Resource exhaustion in Paulsm Zeroconf
CVE-2026-48045
Zeroconf is a pure Python implementation of multicast DNS service discovery. Prior to 0.149.12, AsyncListener.handle_query_or_defer retained every truncated TC-bit incoming query, each up to _MAX_MSG_ABSOLUTE = 8966 bytes, in self._deferred[addr] and armed a per-address timer in self._timers[addr] without capping the per-address list or distinct addr keys, allowing unauthenticated hosts on the local link over UDP/5353 (224.0.0.251 / ff02::fb) to spoof sources, grow _deferred and _timers, and cause memory exhaustion and quadratic CPU burn. This issue is fixed in version 0.149.12.
EPSS: 0.004 (29.9th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
Affected products
- Paulsm Zeroconf
- Python-zeroconf — versions < 0.149.12
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- security-advisories@github.com (Patch, x_refsource_MISC, Issue Tracking)
- security-advisories@github.com (Patch, x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC, Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-48045?
- CVE-2026-48045 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Paulsm Zeroconf, classified under Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling. CVSS score: 6.5/10. Published 2026-07-17.
- How severe is CVE-2026-48045?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.5 out of 10.