AsyncHttpClient: Connection permit leak on TLS handshake failure causes per-host denial of service
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-85718 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-09-17 16:18:16 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-09-30 17:43:24 UTC |
| Description | The AsyncHttpClient (AHC) library allows Java applications to easily execute HTTP requests and asynchronously process HTTP responses. From 3.0.8 until 3.0.12, a client with maxConnections or maxConnectionsPerHost set above zero leaks one connection permit whenever TLS connection establishment fails before the handshake completes. NettyConnectListener removes the partitionKeyLock permit from NettyResponseFuture before every failure path is bound to the channel closeFuture, so an abort can leave the permit unreleased. Repeated failures can permanently lock out one host under a per-host limit or drain the shared pool under a global limit, blocking later requests even when no connection remains open. The default unlimited connection setting is not affected. This issue is fixed in version 3.0.12. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 5.9 MEDIUM from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS: 0.005330000 probability, percentile 0.430150000 (date 2026-10-03)
Problem Types: CWE-400 | CWE-772 | CWE-400 CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption | CWE-772 CWE-772: Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 5.9 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 5.9 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
HighPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
NoneAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | AsyncHttpClient | Async-http-client | affected >= 3.0.8, < 3.0.12 | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/issues/2189 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/pull/2288 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/commit/64eb57af52a003ae7f29... | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/security/advisories/GHSA-gc... | [email protected] | 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.