CVE-2016-6581
Description
A HTTP/2 implementation built using any version of the Python HPACK library between v1.0.0 and v2.2.0 could be targeted for a denial of service attack, specifically a so-called "HPACK Bomb" attack. This attack occurs when an attacker inserts a header field that is exactly the size of the HPACK dynamic header table into the dynamic header table. The attacker can then send a header block that is simply repeated requests to expand that field in the dynamic table. This can lead to a gigantic compression ratio of 4,096 or better, meaning that 16kB of data can decompress to 64MB of data on the target machine.
No summary for this CVE yet.
CVSS Vector Breakdown
Exploitability
AV:NAttack VectorNetwork
AC:LAttack ComplexityLow
PR:NPrivileges RequiredNone
UI:NUser InteractionNone
Scope
S:UScopeUnchanged
Impact
C:NConfidentialityNone
I:NIntegrityNone
A:HAvailabilityHigh
Weaknesses
Affected Products
python
oss-project·US
PyPI
package-ecosystem
and 1 more affected products View all →
Exploitability
Official Patch Available
Workaround Available
References
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/92315
securityfocus.com
https://python-hyper.org/hpack/en/latest/security/CVE-2016-6581.html
python-hyper.org
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6581
nvd.nist.gov
and 6 more references View all →
News mentions
1Unlock Complete Vulnerability Intelligence
Get the full picture for CVE-2016-6581 and every CVE in our database. Create a free account — no credit card required.
Create Free AccountPlain-language analysis
Impact assessment and exploitation scenario in plain English
Attack graph visualization
Interactive attack path and kill chain mapping
Exploit details & PoC links
ExploitDB, Metasploit, GitHub PoCs with direct links
Nuclei scanner templates
Ready-to-use vulnerability scanner templates
Full remediation guide
Patch instructions, workarounds, and compliance impact
Interactive AI chat
Ask questions about this vulnerability in natural language
Related vulnerabilities
Semantically similar CVEs and attack patterns
REST API & MCP access
Integrate vulnerability data into your workflows