CVE-2025-14550 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-407 (Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity) affecting the Django web framework's ASGIRequest component. The issue stems from the way Django processes HTTP requests containing multiple duplicate headers, which can cause the request handling algorithm to exhibit inefficient complexity, leading to excessive CPU and memory consumption. This can be exploited remotely by an attacker sending a crafted HTTP request with numerous duplicate headers, resulting in a denial-of-service (DoS) condition by exhausting server resources. The vulnerability impacts Django versions 6.0 before 6.0.2, 5.2 before 5.2.11, and 4.2 before 4.2.28. Earlier unsupported versions such as 5.0.x, 4.1.x, and 3.2.x were not evaluated but may also be vulnerable. The flaw does not require authentication or user interaction, making it accessible to unauthenticated remote attackers. Although no known exploits have been observed in the wild, the potential for disruption is significant given Django's widespread use in web applications. The vulnerability was responsibly disclosed by researcher Jiyong Yang and is publicly documented without an assigned CVSS score. The core technical risk lies in the inefficient handling of header parsing in ASGIRequest, which can be triggered by sending requests with many duplicate headers, causing the server to consume excessive resources and potentially crash or become unresponsive.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the availability of web applications built on Django, especially those exposed to the internet or handling high volumes of traffic. A successful exploitation could lead to denial-of-service conditions, disrupting business operations, customer access, and critical online services. This is particularly impactful for sectors relying heavily on web infrastructure such as finance, e-commerce, government services, and healthcare. The attack requires no authentication and can be executed remotely, increasing the threat surface. Additionally, organizations using older or unsupported Django versions may be unaware of their exposure, increasing risk. Service outages could lead to reputational damage, financial losses, and regulatory scrutiny under European data protection and operational resilience frameworks. The lack of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the ease of exploitation means attackers could develop exploits rapidly once the vulnerability is widely known.

1. Apply official patches by upgrading Django to versions 6.0.2 or later, 5.2.11 or later, and 4.2.28 or later as soon as possible. 2. For unsupported versions, consider upgrading to a supported release or applying custom request filtering to limit the number of duplicate headers accepted by the application or web server. 3. Implement Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or reverse proxies configured to detect and block requests with excessive duplicate headers. 4. Monitor web server and application logs for unusual patterns of requests with multiple duplicate headers to detect potential exploitation attempts. 5. Conduct regular security assessments and code reviews focusing on input validation and request parsing logic. 6. Educate development and operations teams about this vulnerability to ensure rapid response to any emerging exploits. 7. Employ rate limiting and connection throttling to mitigate the impact of potential DoS attacks. 8. Maintain an inventory of Django versions in use across the organization to prioritize patching and risk management.