Tornado: Quadratic CPU usage when parsing HTTP headers with line folding
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-116577 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-10-26 21:18:14 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-10-26 21:18:14 UTC |
| Description | Tornado is a Python web framework and asynchronous networking library. Prior to 6.6, Tornado's HTTP header parser accepts obsolete line folding and repeatedly concatenates short continuation lines, causing quadratic CPU consumption on the IOLoop thread. An unauthenticated client can submit a header block containing many obsolete line-folding continuations before application code runs, blocking other connections served by the process. The cost grows with max_header_size, and only availability is affected. This issue is fixed in version 6.6. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 5.3 MEDIUM from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Problem Types: CWE-407 | CWE-770 | CWE-407 CWE-407: Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity | CWE-770 CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 5.3 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 5.3 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
NoneAvailability
LowCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Tornadoweb | Tornado | affected < 6.6 | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/tornadoweb/tornado/commit/1b7a1dc9f340f52de929852e8125aa12f25... | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/tornadoweb/tornado/pull/3765 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/tornadoweb/tornado/releases/tag/v6.6.0 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/tornadoweb/tornado/security/advisories/GHSA-pcg2-g6cj-q92c | [email protected] | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.