Netty 4.x HttpContentDecompressor OOM DoS via br, zstd, snappy bypass
CVE-2026-42587 Published on May 13, 2026
Netty: HttpContentDecompressor maxAllocation bypass via Content-Encoding: br/zstd/snappy enables decompression bomb DoS
Netty is an asynchronous, event-driven network application framework. Prior to 4.2.13.Final and 4.1.133.Final, HttpContentDecompressor accepts a maxAllocation parameter to limit decompression buffer size and prevent decompression bomb attacks. This limit is correctly enforced for gzip and deflate encodings via ZlibDecoder, but is silently ignored when the content encoding is br (Brotli), zstd, or snappy. An attacker can bypass the configured decompression limit by sending a compressed payload with Content-Encoding: br instead of Content-Encoding: gzip, causing unbounded memory allocation and out-of-memory denial of service. The same vulnerability exists in DelegatingDecompressorFrameListener for HTTP/2 connections. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.13.Final and 4.1.133.Final.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-42587 can be exploited with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. An automatable proof of concept (POC) exploit exists. 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.
Weakness Type
What is a Resource Exhaustion Vulnerability?
The software does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource, thereby enabling an actor to influence the amount of resources consumed, eventually leading to the exhaustion of available resources.
CVE-2026-42587 has been classified to as a Resource Exhaustion vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-42587
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Affected Versions
netty:- Version >= 4.2.0.Alpha1, < 4.2.13.Final is affected.
- Version < 4.1.133.Final is affected.
- Version >= 4.2.0.Alpha1, < 4.2.13.Final is affected.
- Version < 4.1.133.Final is affected.
- Version >= 4.2.0.Alpha1, < 4.2.13.Final is affected.
- Version < 4.1.133.Final is affected.