CVE-2023-44487
CVE-2023-44487 — HTTP/2 Rapid Reset Attack Vulnerability
The HTTP/2 protocol allows a denial of service (server resource consumption) because request cancellation can reset many streams quickly, as exploited in the wild in August through October 2023.
Published Updated Sources: NVD, IETF (CNA), CISA, FIRST EPSS, GitHub, Exploit-DB, Red Hat (VEX)
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.
Exploitation
Confirmed
CISA KEV, listed Oct 10, 2023
EPSS
100%
top of FIRST's scoreset
CVSS base
7.5
high
CISA SSVC assessment
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses · SSVC 2.0.3. A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Exploitation
Active
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
Yes
can an attacker script all four kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component
Remediation
The vendor's own words where we have them.
Upgrade HTTP/2 to a fixed release. Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.
CISA required action
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Federal deadline Oct 31, 2023 — passed 1,069 days ago
Red Hat VEX · CVE-2023-44487
vendor_fix: Before applying this update, make sure all previously released errata relevant to your system have been applied. For details on how to apply this update, refer to: https://access.…
vendor_fix: For details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258
vendor_fix: For details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.
- Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
- Treat as emergency remediation because CISA KEV status is present.
- Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| IETF | HTTP/2 | — | Vulnerable |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Availability
High
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Scope
Unchanged
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Vector
Network
Privileges Req
None
User Interaction
None
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | high | 3.9 | 3.6 | NVD, CNA, Red Hat (VEX) |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness & attack patterns
- CWE-400Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Inferred from the weakness class — not observed against this CVE.
- T1499Endpoint Denial of Service
CISA KEV details
CISA lists a CVE here once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
Listed
Oct 10, 2023
Federal deadline
Oct 31, 2023
passed 1,069 days ago
Ransomware use
Unknown
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a date to argue against.
Public exploit
Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.
Repositories
447
1 of the 5 sampled are weaponized
Exploit entries
1
Exploit-DB and CTI exploit indexes
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.
- Search application, proxy, and WAF logs for requests touching /2.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable HTTP/2.
- Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 448 public PoC repositories were reported.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.
- 2026
Added · CVSS 3.1 7.5 (AV:N)
Aug 11, 2026 · NVD
- 2025
Added · remote entry: HTTP/2 2.0 - Denial Of Service (DOS)
Sep 16, 2025 · Exploit-DB
- 2023
Added to CISA KEV catalog
Oct 10, 2023 · CISA
Initial · CVE published
Oct 10, 2023 · NVD
References
182 on the record
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/10/6
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/10/7
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/13/4
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/13/9
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/18/4
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/18/8
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/19/6
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/20/8
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
Elsewhere on this site
- IETFevery CVE for this vendor
- October 2023what else CISA listed
- Denial of Servicesame class
- CWE-400other pages naming this weakness
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record1
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2023-44487 is HTTP/2 Rapid Reset Attack Vulnerability, a high vulnerability affecting HTTP/2 from IETF. The current evidence lists it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Yes: CISA KEV signal present. Public exploit evidence is: 448 public PoC repositories reported; 1 marked weaponized in current dataset. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity, while EPSS 100% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.