DoS via max_recursion_depth Bypass in google.protobuf.json_format.ParseDict()
CVE-2026-0994 Published on January 23, 2026

Denial of Service in Python Protobuf
A denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability exists in google.protobuf.json_format.ParseDict() in Python, where the max_recursion_depth limit can be bypassed when parsing nested google.protobuf.Any messages. Due to missing recursion depth accounting inside the internal Any-handling logic, an attacker can supply deeply nested Any structures that bypass the intended recursion limit, eventually exhausting Pythons recursion stack and causing a RecursionError.

NVD

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-0994 is exploitable with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a high impact on availability.

Attack Vector:
NETWORK
Attack Complexity:
LOW
Privileges Required:
NONE
User Interaction:
NONE
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
NONE
Integrity Impact:
NONE
Availability Impact:
HIGH

Weakness Type

What is a Stack Exhaustion Vulnerability?

The product does not properly control the amount of recursion which takes place, consuming excessive resources, such as allocated memory or the program stack.

CVE-2026-0994 has been classified to as a Stack Exhaustion vulnerability or weakness.


Products Associated with CVE-2026-0994

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Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
 
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Developer
 
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Inside
 
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Eus
 
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
 
Red Hat Rhel E4s
 
Red Hat Rhel Eus
 
Red Hat Ai Inference Server
 
Red Hat Amq Clients
 
Red Hat Hummingbird
 
Red Hat Openstack
 

Affected Versions

Python Protobuf: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Update Services for SAP Solutions: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Extended Update Support: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support: Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.2: Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.2: Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.3: Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.3: Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.3: Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.3: Red Hat AMQ Clients: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2: Red Hat Hardened Images: Red Hat OpenStack Platform 16.2:

Exploit Probability

EPSS
0.35%
Percentile
26.79%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.