CVE-2026-33846

What it is

A heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the DTLS handshake fragment reassembly logic of GnuTLS. The issue arises in merge_handshake_packet() where incoming handshake fragments are matched and merged based solely on handshake type, without validating that the message_length field remains consistent across all fragments of the same logical message. An attacker can exploit this by sending crafted DTLS fragments with conflicting message_length values, causing the implementation to allocate a buffer based on a smaller initial fragment and subsequently write beyond its bounds using larger, inconsistent fragments. Because the merge operation does not enforce proper bounds checking against the allocated buffer size, this results in an out-of-bounds write on the heap. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication via the DTLS handshake path and can lead to application crashes or potential memory corruption.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network without logging in. High risk of service disruption.

Exploit odds

1.3% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

No patch or advisory is linked yet. Look at mitigations or restrict exposure.

Timeline

1. 2026-05-04 10:15 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-11-04 23:17 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 1.3% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 7.5 HIGH (CVSS).
• Fix: none linked yet, which raises it.

Details

Published

2026-05-04 10:15 UTC

Last modified

2026-11-04 23:17 UTC

Exploit probability

1.3% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-130

Record status

Awaiting Analysis

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 7.5

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

Low

Privileges needed

None

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Availability

High

Is it in your code?

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