What is CVE-2026-14456?

CVE-2026-14456 is Unbounded Memory Growth in QUIC Server Incoming Channel Queue. The supplied enrichment data classifies it as Remote Code Exec mapped to CWE-770 CWE-770.

Which versions are affected?

Affected product and version evidence is listed in the product table above. Current public advisories should be checked for exact version scope before patch targeting is finalized.

Is there active exploitation?

Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-14456. If exploitation is not confirmed from current sources, teams should document that status and continue monitoring KEV, vendor, and telemetry updates.

No. CVE-2026-14456 is not listed in CISA KEV in the supplied enrichment data. KEV status should be monitored because it can change after initial disclosure or after exploitation becomes publicly confirmed.

Is there a public exploit?

3 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. Public exploit or PoC availability should raise triage priority, especially for exposed or business-critical systems.

How can defenders detect it?

Start with EDR process telemetry, host service logs where available. Look for vulnerability-class behavior, product errors, suspicious authentication events, exploit probes, and abnormal process activity based only on evidence that applies to the affected product.

How should teams prioritize it?

Prioritize CVE-2026-14456 using CVSS null, EPSS 0%, KEV status, public PoC status, and asset exposure. Internet-facing, privileged, or business-critical deployments should be handled first.

Are workarounds available?

The supplied mitigation guidance says to apply vendor patches and restrict external exposure until fixed. Fixed-version evidence is listed in the mitigation section above.

Which threat actors are linked publicly?

No public threat actor linkage is confirmed from current sources. Do not attribute exploitation to a threat actor unless the source evidence explicitly supports that linkage.

What should be done in the next 24 hours?

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations. Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class. Open remediation tickets with affected assets, owners, evidence status, and detection coverage so decisions are traceable.

Remote Code Execpublic exploit

CVE-2026-14456

CVE-2026-14456 — Unbounded Memory Growth in QUIC Server Incoming Channel Queue

Issue summary: When an OpenSSL QUIC server (Listener SSL object) processes valid QUIC Initial packets for unknown destination connection IDs, it can allocate and queue new incoming channels without enforcing any limit. Impact summary: A remote peer that can make many Initial packets reach the server listener faster than the application accepts connections, can cause the memory allocated to store the per-channel state to grow without any limits, potentially making the QUIC listener unavailable and causing Denial of Service. CWE: CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling Description: The function that handles inbound QUIC packets uses Connection-Id from the packet header to find an existing connection (QUIC channel). If no existing connection is found and the packet type is INITIAL, the function treats the packet as a new connection. It allocates a new channel object and inserts it into a queue where it waits to be accepted by the local application with SSL_accept(3ossl). The memory occupied by these initial channel objects may grow without bounds if the application is not able to call SSL_accept() frequently enough to serve these inbound connection requests. The issue is present since OpenSSL 3.5 when the QUIC server implementation was added. The fix introduces a limit for pending connections. The default limit is set to 256 pending connections (waiting to be accepted by the local application). Applications may change the default by calling SSL_set_value_uint(3ossl). FIPS impact: no The FIPS module is not affected as the QUIC implementation is outside of the OpenSSL FIPS module boundary.

Published Aug 13, 2026Updated Aug 13, 2026Sources: NVD, OpenSSL (CNA), GitHub, GitHub Security Advisory, SOCRadar CTI

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.

Exploitation

Exploit code

public exploit, none observed

EPSS

ahead of 0% of scored CVEs

Affects

OpenSSL

3 products listed

CVSS base

Unscored

no source published a base score

Remediation

The vendor's own words where we have them.

Upgrade OpenSSL to a fixed release. Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.

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.
Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure.
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
OpenSSL	OpenSSL	4.0.0 to < 4.0.2	Vulnerable
OpenSSL	OpenSSL	3.6.0 to < 3.6.4	Vulnerable
OpenSSL	OpenSSL	3.5.0 to < 3.5.8	Vulnerable

What this weakness leads to

MITRE's own consequences and mitigations for the weakness class — the authority's wording, not guidance derived from the CVSS vector.

MITRE

CWE-770 · Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling

DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU)
DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)

Mitigation: Clearly specify the minimum and maximum expectations for capabilities, and dictate which behaviors are acceptable when resource allocation reaches limits.

Weakness & attack patterns

CWE-770

Attack patterns reported against this CVE. The ATT&CK techniques below are inferred from its weakness class.

CAPEC-528 · XML FloodCAPEC-230 · XML Nested PayloadsCAPEC-496 · ICMP FragmentationCAPEC-493 · SOAP Array BlowupCAPEC-487 · ICMP FloodCAPEC-147 · XML Ping of the DeathCAPEC-495 · UDP FragmentationCAPEC-486 · UDP FloodCAPEC-489 · SSL FloodCAPEC-469 · HTTP DoSCAPEC-231 · Oversized Serialized Data PayloadsCAPEC-494 · TCP Fragmentation

T1498.001Network Denial of Service: Direct Network Flood
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service
T1499.003Endpoint Denial of Service: Application Exhaustion Flood

Public exploit

Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.

Repositories

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.

Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 3 public PoC repositories were reported.

EDR process telemetryhost service logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.

2026
Initial · CVE published
Aug 13, 2026 · NVD
Added · GHSA-9x89-v382-mjh7 published (unknown)
Aug 13, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisory

References

6 on the record

github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/08e7756c3900bcfd77a720e7b74e27d6e4ed01a9
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/4084152e040329ca0194c4c1750b9b46d00a5b6b
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/f2f1465f2d2e5c61dfeac4d20fd093797d821139
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
openssl-library.org/news/secadv/20260813.txt
Vendor Advisory, Mitre
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-14456
NVD
github.com/advisories/GHSA-9x89-v382-mjh7
Exploit, Third Party Advisory

Elsewhere on this site

OpenSSLevery CVE for this vendor
Remote Code Execsame class
CWE-770other 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-2026-14456 is Unbounded Memory Growth in QUIC Server Incoming Channel Queue, a unscored vulnerability affecting OpenSSL from OpenSSL. The current evidence does not list it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-14456. Public exploit evidence is: 3 public PoC repositories reported; 0 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 null describes technical severity, while EPSS 0% 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.