CVE-2025-4516

Use-after-free in "unicode_escape" decoder with error handler

Published May 15, 2025 CVSS 4.0 · 5.9 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
There is an issue in CPython when using `bytes.decode("unicode_escape", error="ignore|replace")`. If you are not using the "unicode_escape" encoding or an error handler your usage is not affected. To work-around this issue you may stop using the error= handler and instead wrap the bytes.decode() call in a try-except catching the DecodeError.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Debian DLA Debian DLA DLA-4445-1 python3.9 security update
EUVD EUVD EUVD-2025-15156 There is an issue in CPython when using `bytes.decode("unicode_escape", error="ignore|replace")`. If you are not using the "unicode_escape" encoding or an error handler your usage is not affected. To work-around this issue you may stop using the error= handler and instead wrap the bytes.decode() call in a try-except catching the DecodeError.
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7570-1 Python vulnerabilities
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.1, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Moderate

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description There is an issue in CPython when using `bytes.decode("unicode_escape", error="ignore|replace")`. If you are not using the "unicode_escape" encoding or an error handler your usage is not affected. To work-around this issue you may stop using the error= handler and instead wrap the bytes.decode() call in a try-except catching the DecodeError.
Title Use-after-free in "unicode_escape" decoder with error handler
Weaknesses CWE-416
References
Metrics cvssV4_0

{'score': 5.9, 'vector': 'CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
PSF
Published
Updated
Jul 31, 2026, 2:02 PM
Reserved
May 9, 2025, 2:59 PM
Status
Deferred
Published
May 15, 2025, 2:15 PM
Modified
Jul 31, 2026, 2:16 PM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
May 15, 2025, 1:29 PM