Apache PLC4X, Apache PLC4X: Pre-authentication resource exhaustion in the OPC UA driver and the Java SPI parser
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-102509 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | apache |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-09-30 09:17:14 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-09-30 16:14:10 UTC |
| Description | Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value, Allocation of Resources Without Limits, and Uncontrolled Recursion in the Java implementation of Apache PLC4X (PLC4J) allow a malicious or impersonated device to exhaust the memory or stack of the client application, causing a denial of service. In the OPC UA driver these defects are reachable before authentication: the offending data is parsed while the secure channel and session are being established, before the server's identity has been bound to it. Configuring a trusted server therefore does not prevent exploitation by an attacker who can impersonate it. The individual defects are: - Length-prefixed byte strings are allocated at the size claimed on the wire before the length is checked against the data actually received (0.10.0 through 0.13.1). - Array fields in generated protocol parsers pre-allocate a list with the element count claimed on the wire, allowing a single count field to trigger a multi-gigabyte allocation. This parser is shared by all PLC4J drivers; the OPC UA driver is the verified pre-authentication path (0.10.0 through 0.13.1). - The OPC UA driver accumulates message chunks without enforcing the negotiated maximum chunk count and message size (0.12.0 through 0.13.1). - The OPC UA driver pre-allocates collections using element counts received from the server (0.10.0 through 0.13.1). - Recursive protocol types are parsed without a nesting-depth limit. The same defect in the Go implementation is covered by CVE-2026-102510 https://cveprocess.apache.org/cve5/CVE-2026-102510 . This issue affects Apache PLC4X: from 0.10.0 before 1.0.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 1.0.0, which fixes the issue. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 8.7 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Problem Types: CWE-674 | CWE-770 | CWE-789 | CWE-789 CWE-789 Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value. This covers the byte strings (F2), the array counts (F4) and the element counts (f024). | CWE-770 CWE-770 Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling. This covers the chunk accumulation (F3). | CWE-674 CWE-674 Uncontrolled Recursion. This covers the nested mspec types (f045).
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 8.7 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 8.7 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Apache Software Foundation | Apache PLC4X | affected 0.10.0 1.0.0 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Apache Software Foundation | Apache PLC4X | unaffected 1.0.0 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Apache Software Foundation | Apache PLC4X | affected 0.10.0 1.0.0 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Apache Software Foundation | Apache PLC4X | unaffected 1.0.0 semver | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| lists.apache.org/thread.html/qngc85qhnlj7kpk3z58z0xlxhz2tn6gp | [email protected] | lists.apache.org | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: Abhinav Agarwal (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-07-09T12:11:00.000Z | reported to the Apache Security Team |
| CNA | 2026-07-10T12:11:00.000Z | reported issues fixed on develop (a2dbb6bfc0, 5a4d5bdb4c) |
| CNA | 2026-09-07T12:12:00.000Z | Apache PLC4X 1.0.0 released with the fixes |