CVE-2026-114603

OpenTelemetry Python: Unbounded tracestate parsing in opentelemetry-api

Published Oct 22, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 5.3 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
OpenTelemetry Python provides the Python API and SDK for OpenTelemetry. Prior to 1.45.1, the opentelemetry-api function TraceState.from_header in opentelemetry/trace/span.py, reached through TraceContextTextMapPropagator.extract, parses inbound W3C tracestate headers with an unbounded optional-whitespace regular expression. A malformed header containing a long run of spaces or tabs without a following comma causes quadratic backtracking before the member-count limit is applied. Services using the default W3C Trace Context propagator can therefore spend excessive CPU time on one unauthenticated request when the HTTP server, parser, gateway, or custom carrier accepts a sufficiently large header. The processing can occupy a synchronous worker or delay unrelated requests on the same asynchronous event loop. The impact is limited to availability and does not expose or modify telemetry data or allow code execution. This issue is fixed in version 1.45.1.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Github GHSA Github GHSA GHSA-xcq7-p3pf-p88h OpenTelemetry Python: Unbounded tracestate parsing in opentelemetry-api
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'yes', 'Exploitation': 'poc', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Opentelemetry
Opentelemetry opentelemetry-python
Vendors & Products Opentelemetry
Opentelemetry opentelemetry-python
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

threat_severity

Moderate

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description OpenTelemetry Python provides the Python API and SDK for OpenTelemetry. Prior to 1.45.1, the opentelemetry-api function TraceState.from_header in opentelemetry/trace/span.py, reached through TraceContextTextMapPropagator.extract, parses inbound W3C tracestate headers with an unbounded optional-whitespace regular expression. A malformed header containing a long run of spaces or tabs without a following comma causes quadratic backtracking before the member-count limit is applied. Services using the default W3C Trace Context propagator can therefore spend excessive CPU time on one unauthenticated request when the HTTP server, parser, gateway, or custom carrier accepts a sufficiently large header. The processing can occupy a synchronous worker or delay unrelated requests on the same asynchronous event loop. The impact is limited to availability and does not expose or modify telemetry data or allow code execution. This issue is fixed in version 1.45.1.
Title OpenTelemetry Python: Unbounded tracestate parsing in opentelemetry-api
Weaknesses CWE-1333
CWE-400
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.3, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
GitHub_M
Published
Updated
Oct 29, 2026, 2:17 AM
Reserved
Oct 21, 2026, 8:34 PM
Status
Awaiting Analysis
Published
Oct 22, 2026, 4:17 PM
Modified
Oct 29, 2026, 4:18 AM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Oct 22, 2026, 3:29 PM