PyPy pyexpat ExternalEntityParserCreate Use-After-Free
PyPy before versions 3.11.16 and 3.12.14 contains a use-after-free vulnerability in the pyexpat module's ExternalEntityParserCreate function that allows attackers to corrupt memory by supplying a crafted XML document to applications that create external-entity sub-parsers without retaining a reference to the parent parser. The child parser retains a raw C back-pointer to the parent parser struct while PyPy's tracing garbage collector can free the parent's C struct, causing bundled libexpat to dereference the freed pointer on every parsed token, producing memory corruption.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for help- Published
- Sep 29, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 29, 2026
- EPSS
- —
- CWE
- CWE-416
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Report tools
Action score
25
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 25 / 40 · 6.3 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · —
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · VulnCheck
- 6.3
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Affected systems
—
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (VulnCheck). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
PyPy PyPy
- before 3.11.16affected · semver
- 3.12.0 and later · before 3.12.14affected · semver
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | pypy3 | all versions | — |
| Debian:14 | pypy3 | before 8.0.0+dfsg-1 | 8.0.0+dfsg-1 |
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PyPy PyPy | 3.11.16 | Vendor (CNA) |
| PyPy PyPy | 3.12.14 | Vendor (CNA) |
| debian:pypy3 | 8.0.0+dfsg-1 · Debian:14 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Published
- Fix recordedsame day
- TodaySep 30, 2026+1 d
No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- Fabian Wahle (Hap Security)finder
- VulnCheckcoordinator
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- Integrity
- Availability
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- X
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-416 · Use After FreeCVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
nvd-secondary
Root cause
After a memory region is freed, another reference pointing to it is still used. By then, the same region may have been allocated for different data.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-416 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
free(dev->buf);/* ... another thread is still running ... */process(dev->buf);Fixed
lock(&dev->lock);free(dev->buf);dev->buf = NULL;unlock(&dev->lock);Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
- Exploit maturity— → none
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- doc.pypy.org/release-v8.0.0.html
- github.com/pypy/pypy/releases/tag/release-pypy3.11-v8.0.0
- github.com/pypy/pypy/releases/tag/release-pypy3.12-v8.0.0
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/pypy-pyexpat-externalentityparsercreate-use-after-free
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.