AsyncSSH: asyncio event-loop freeze via SSH maximum packet size = 0 in SSH_MSG_CHANNEL_OPEN / OPEN_CONFIRMATION

Summary

A malicious SSH server can wedge an AsyncSSH client, and an authenticated client can wedge an AsyncSSH server, by sending a channel maximum packet size of 0 in SSH_MSG_CHANNEL_OPEN_CONFIRMATION (server→client) or SSH_MSG_CHANNEL_OPEN (client→server). AsyncSSH stores the peer-supplied value verbatim with no lower-bound check; the first time channel data is written, SSHChannel._flush_send_buf enters a synchronous infinite loop that cannot be interrupted by asyncio.wait_for or any timeout. The loop body has no await, so it blocks the entire asyncio event loop — for a server, one malicious authenticated channel freezes all current and future connections.

RFC 4254 §5.1 leaves receiver behavior for a peer-reported "maximum packet size = 0" undefined, so the value must be rejected rather than stored.

Root cause

asyncssh/channel.py:

# process_open (server side)        -- line 465
self._send_pktsize = send_pktsize    # peer value, no >= 1 check

# process_open_confirmation (client) -- line 528
self._send_pktsize = send_pktsize    # peer value, no >= 1 check

# _flush_send_buf                    -- lines 305-320
while self._send_buf and self._send_window:
    pktsize = min(self._send_window, self._send_pktsize)  # 0 when peer sends 0
    buf, datatype = self._send_buf[0]
    if len(buf) > pktsize:          # True for any buffered data
        data = buf[:pktsize]        # empty (b'')
        del buf[:pktsize]           # no-op
    ...
    self._send_window -= len(data)  # -= 0, unchanged

With _send_pktsize == 0, pktsize is 0, so buf[:0] is empty, del buf[:0] is a no-op, and _send_window is never decremented — the while condition is permanently true, and with no await in the body the event loop is blocked.

Impact

• Client vector (primary): a malicious SSH server replies to the client's channel open with maximum packet size = 0; the client wedges on its first channel write. The attacker is the server, so it needs no valid credentials.
• Server vector: an authenticated client opens a channel with maximum packet size = 0; any server-side channel write wedges the AsyncSSH server's event loop, freezing every current and future connection. A single low-privilege account can take the whole server down.