Node.js TLS Handshake Deferred Callback Use-After-Destroy DoS
CVE-2026-126051 Published on November 11, 2026
Node.js is vulnerable to a remotely triggerable uncaught exception in TLS servers via deferred handshake callbacks
A deferred-callback use-after-destroy in Node.js TLS server handshake handling allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to terminate the server process. When a TLS server uses any of the SNICallback, OCSPRequest, newSession, or resumeSession hooks, or server.addContext(), the corresponding OpenSSL callbacks are deferred, and the deferred code does not handle the underlying socket being destroyed between scheduling and execution. By sending a client hello that reaches the vulnerable path (for example, no SNI together with an OCSP request) followed by padding and a socket FIN, an attacker makes OpenSSL deliver the client hello and the end-of-file in the same tick, so the socket is destroyed before the deferred callback runs and the process raises an uncaught exception instead of emitting an 'error' event. This vulnerability affects Node.js 26.x and 24.x.
Weakness Type
NULL Pointer Dereference
A NULL pointer dereference occurs when the application dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid, but is NULL, typically causing a crash or exit. NULL pointer dereference issues can occur through a number of flaws, including race conditions, and simple programming omissions.
Affected Versions
nodejs node:- Version 24.0.0 and below 24.22.3 is affected.
- Version 25.0.0 and below 26.13.1 is affected.
Exploit Probability
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.