CVE-2026-115559
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IMAP STARTTLS Response Injection in Python imaplib

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-115559, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-11-10

Last updated on: 2026-11-10

Assigner: Python Software Foundation

Description

IMAP4.starttls() wraps the socket in TLS but leaves self._readbuf, imaplib's own read-ahead buffer, untouched. Any plaintext bytes that arrived in the same recv() as the tagged OK to STARTTLS are returned by readline() after the handshake, so the client treats them as the first responses on the protected channel. A network attacker who cannot break TLS can append forged lines after the server's OK, let the handshake complete with the real server and a valid certificate, and have the client accept the forged CAPABILITY and the forged tagged completion of the next command. This is the STARTTLS command/response injection class of CVE-2011-0411.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-11-10
Last Modified
2026-11-10
Generated
2026-11-11
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

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Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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