CVE-2026-102265: PyJWT Uncaught RecursionError Vulnerability

{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-8wjv-2p76-3863",
  "modified" : "2026-09-29T23:43:06Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-29T23:43:06Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-102265" ],
  "summary" : "PyJWT: Uncaught RecursionError in jwt.decode() on deeply nested token header",
  "details" : "## Package\n\npyjwt (PyPI)\n\n## Affected versions\n\ntested & verified on: 2.13.0. Every version whose `PyJWS._load()` translates only `ValueError` is affected\n\n## Description\n\n`PyJWS._looad()` (`jwt/api_jws.py:337`) splits the compact token, base64url decodes the header segment and hands it to `json.loads()` before `_verify_signature()` runs. The parse is wrapped in `except ValueError as e: raise DecodeError(...)`. That is what makes the documented contract sufficient for untrusted input: `except jwt.PyJWTError` (or `InvalidTokenError`) around `jwt.decode(token, key, algorithms=[...])`.\n\nCPython's JSON decoder raises `RecursionError` (a `RuntimeError` subclass, not a `ValueError`) once nesting crosses the native stack guard. That exception leaves `_load()`, then `jwt.decode()`, and matches no `PyJWTError` handlerr at all. No key and no valid signature are needed: the header is parsed first, so a single unauthenticated request with an unsigned token suffices.\n\nScope: the recursion threshold is ~65,000 nesting levels; below it the same input yields a clean `DecodeError` (a 346,800-byte flat header is rejected normally, so depth, not size, is the trigger). A token this large cannot ride in an `Authorization` header (rejected at HTTP field limits,431 under gunicorn), but body transport (RFC 7662 introspection style) is a standard pattern. Under Flask 3.1.3 / gunicorn 26.2.0 each crafted request returns HTTP 500 instead of 401 and writes a full traceback to the error log; the sync worker survives.\n\n## Proof of concept\n\nAgainst any endpoint that validates a token from its JSON body with the documented pattern:\n\n```python\nimport base64, json, http.client\n\ndef b64url(b): return base64.urlsafe_b64encode(b).rstrip(b\"=\")\n\n# unsigned token: the header segment is 200,000 nested '[' (266,681 bytes total)\ntoken = (b64url(b\"[\" * 200_000) + b\".\" + b64url(b'{\"a\":1}') + b\".\" + b64url(b\"x\")).decode()\n\nconn = http.client.HTTPConnection(\"127.0.0.1\", 8125, timeout=30)\nconn.request(\"POST\", \"/api/protected\", body=json.dumps({\"token\": token}),\n             headers={\"Content-Type\": \"application/json\"})\nprint(conn.getresponse().status)   # 500, expected 401\n```\n\nDeterminism: 20/20 crafted requests returned 500 against the reference container (PyJWT 2.13.0, Flask 3.1.3, gunicorn 26.2.0, Python 3.14.7) in 0.12 s (about 6 ms per request in a tight loop, 14 ms for a cold request), each leaving a `RecursionError: Stack overflow ... while decoding a JSON array` traceback in the error log.\n\n## Impact\n\nAn unauthenticated attacker can turn every request to a JWT validating endpoint into a server error with a full traceback logged per request, a cheap and repeatable denial of service on the authentication path (no crash, no data exposure).\n\n## Fix\n\nCatch `RecursionError` alongside `ValueError` in `_load()` and raise `DecodeError`, or parse the header with a nonrecursive, depthbounded parser.\n\n## Reproduction\n\nA standalone package (docker-compose.yml, Dockerfile, requirements.txt, target app, driver) accompanies this report:\n\n```\ncd <package dir>\ndocker compose up -d --build\npython3 poc_check_then_attack.py\ndocker compose down -v\n```\n[poc_pyjwt_recursion.zip](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/31614987/poc_pyjwt_recursion.zip)\n\nExit 0= reproduced (control checks green, exactly one crafted request returns 500, traceback verified in `docker logs`, service alive afterwards); 1 = not reproduced; 2 = checks failed, no attack sent. The package's `run_log.txt` documents a complete proof run.\n\n## Credits\n\n- @Nivid42\n\n## Maintainer update — 2026-09-09\n\nWe reproduced the reported behavior on PyJWT 2.13.0: a deeply nested JSON array in the untrusted compact-JWS header reaches `json.loads()` before signature verification and raises `RecursionError`, which is not a `PyJWTError`. The same input is accepted by the public `jwt.decode()` path and can escape an application's normal `except PyJWTError` handling.\n\nThe fix is committed as `06573692ebcdec8831c3927513b3e87c31fbbb62`. `PyJWS._load()` now translates both `ValueError` and `RecursionError` from header JSON parsing into `DecodeError`. A regression test covers the deeply nested-header path before signature verification. The full suite passes with 373 tests and 4 intentional cryptography-environment skips.\n\nNo release containing the fix has been published yet, so the patched version remains unset pending release planning. The advisory remains medium severity and unpublished.\n\n## Maintainer update — 2026-09-11\n\nThe verified fix for this advisory is included in PyJWT 2.14.0, released on 2026-09-11 and available on PyPI. PyJWT 2.14.0 is the first release containing the fix. This advisory is now published with 2.14.0 recorded as the patched version.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "pyJWT"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.13.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.14.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jpadilla/pyjwt/security/advisories/GHSA-8wjv-2p76-3863"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-102265"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jpadilla/pyjwt/commit/06573692ebcdec8831c3927513b3e87c31fbbb62"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jpadilla/pyjwt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jpadilla/pyjwt/releases/tag/2.14.0"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-674" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-09-29T23:43:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-28T21:17:14Z"
  }
}