aiosmtplib is an asynchronous SMTP client for use with asyncio. Prior to 5.1.2, SMTPProtocol.start_tls in src/aiosmtplib/protocol.py consumes the server's 220 response and starts the TLS handshake without clearing SMTPProtocol._buffer. An active network attacker can place attacker-chosen SMTP response lines after the plaintext 220 response in the same network segment. The method then calls loop.start_tls; those bytes survive the transport upgrade and are parsed as the first response from inside the TLS session, desynchronizing subsequent SMTP command and response pairs. Connections using start_tls=True or opportunistic STARTTLS are affected, while connections using use_tls=True are not. This issue is fixed in version 5.1.2.
References
Configurations
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History
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Information
Published : 2026-08-20 15:17
Updated : 2026-08-20 20:17
NVD link : CVE-2026-55558
Mitre link : CVE-2026-55558
CVE.ORG link : CVE-2026-55558
JSON object : View
Products Affected
No product.
CWE
CWE-74
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
