Netty: HTTP/2 decompression leaks ByteBuf reference count when the decompressor channel is already closed (Direct memory leak / OOM DoS)
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-56819 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-07-21 23:17:52 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-07-22 20:35:40 UTC |
| Description | Netty is a network application framework for development of protocol servers and clients. In versions 4.2.0.Final through 4.2.15.Final and 4.1.0.Final through 4.1.135.Final, a remote unauthenticated peer can leak one direct `ByteBuf` per HTTP/2 `DATA` frame in applications that enable HTTP/2 content decompression via `DelegatingDecompressorFrameListener`. When a `DATA` frame is processed for a stream whose decompressor has already been closed, `Http2Decompressor.decompress(...)` calls `decompressor.writeInbound(data.retain())` and does not release the retained buffer on the error path, eventually exhausting direct memory and crashing the JVM. This issue is fixed in versions 4.1.136.Final and 4.2.16.Final. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 7.5 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS: 0.006300000 probability, percentile 0.464270000 (date 2026-07-22)
Problem Types: CWE-400 | CWE-401 | CWE-400 CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption | CWE-401 CWE-401: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 7.5 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 7.5 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
NoneAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/netty/netty/releases/tag/netty-4.1.136.Final | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/netty/netty/commit/5b68c61f37aa4a3045cba624cbea239655c9003b | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/netty/netty/releases/tag/netty-4.2.16.Final | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/netty/netty/commit/bb2ff68a1fb71cb4b0eb9a9e17b66c52aff680c6 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/netty/netty/security/advisories/GHSA-93wv-jw9v-4972 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/netty/netty/commit/5b68c61f37aa4a3045cba624cbea239655c9003bht... | MITRE | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.