zeroconf: Unbounded exception-dedup state retains packet buffers via traceback frame locals, enabling LAN-local memory exhaustion

Description

Impact

DNSIncoming._log_exception_debug and the four QuietLogger exception-dedup methods stored an unbounded _seen_logs dict keyed by str(sys.exc_info()[1]). The seven IncomingDecodeError messages raised from _read_name / _decode_labels_at_offset (RFC 6762 §18 name-decoding error paths) all embed self.source — the peer's ephemeral source port, varying per packet — plus byte offset and pointer link, so every attacker-influenced combination produced a fresh dedup key. The stored value was the full sys.exc_info() triple, whose traceback's frame locals retained self.data (the raw inbound packet, up to 8966 bytes per RFC 6762 §17). Each unique malformed packet therefore pinned ~9 KB until process exit.

Any unauthenticated host on the local link (UDP/5353, 224.0.0.251 / ff02::fb) can drive memory growth at line rate; that includes a guest on the same Wi-Fi, a compromised IoT device, or a container on a shared bridge. On memory-constrained deployments (Home Assistant on Raspberry-Pi-class hardware is the canonical victim) sustained traffic trivially OOM-kills the process, and mDNS-dependent features (HomeKit, Chromecast/Matter, AirPlay, printers) degrade or fail.

Patches

Fixed in zeroconf 0.149.6 (PR #1717). Upgrade to >= 0.149.6.

Workarounds

There is no in-process workaround; upgrading is the fix. Otherwise, restrict mDNS (UDP/5353) to trusted Layer-2 segments via AP client isolation, guest-network separation, or host firewall rules.

Resources

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
medium
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Open repository advisory ↗
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2026-05-29 20:13:08 UTC
Updated
2026-05-29 20:13:08 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2026-05-29 20:13:08 UTC

EPSS Score

No EPSS score in this advisory JSON.

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
6.5 3.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:A)
Attacker has to be nearby on the network—same office, same link, that vibe—not the whole wide internet.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

Identifiers

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-400 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

Affected packages (1)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
pip zeroconf < 0.149.6 0.149.6

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence