CVE-2026-55851

8.7 HIGH 0.6% exploit odds Fix listed Denial of service Library

What it is

Netty is a network application framework for development of protocol servers and clients. In versions 4.2.0.Final up to (but not including) 4.2.16.Final, and 4.1.0.Final up to (but not including) 4.1.135, the `HAProxyMessageDecoder` in Netty's `codec-haproxy` module performs protocol version detection by reading the 13th byte as a signed Java `byte` and widening it to `int` without masking; a PROXY protocol v2 binary prefix followed by version byte `0xFF` sign-extends to `-1`, collides with the decoder's need-more-data sentinel, and causes `ByteToMessageDecoder` to accumulate inbound bytes in an unbounded `cumulation` buffer until direct memory is exhausted. This issue is fixed in versions 4.1.136.Final and 4.2.16.Final.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited over the network without logging in. High risk of service disruption.
Exploit odds: 0.6% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Fix: A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

2026-07-21 22:17 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-07-30 14:48 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 0.6% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 8.7 HIGH (CVSS).
Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published: 2026-07-21 22:17 UTC
Last modified: 2026-07-30 14:48 UTC
Exploit probability: 0.6% · EPSS, next 30 days
Weakness: CWE-400 · Uncontrolled resource consumption
Record status: Analyzed

Affected

Netty < 4.1.136
Netty < 4.2.16

Attack profile CVSS 4.0 · 8.7

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Attack requirements: None
Privileges needed: None
User interaction: None
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Raw vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2026-55851.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2026-55851. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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Fix and advisories

References

NVD record · CVE.org record