CVE-2026-73507
CVE-2026-73507 — Netty: Denial of Service in XmlFrameDecoder via CPU Exhaustion
Netty is an asynchronous, event-driven network application framework. Prior to 4.1.136.Final and 4.2.16.Final, io.netty.handler.codec.xml.XmlFrameDecoder.decode() failed to preserve closing-tag parser state across invocations, so an unauthenticated remote attacker could trickle-feed repeated </ sequences that repeatedly rescanned the accumulated buffer and exhausted an EventLoop thread's CPU, causing denial of service with a maxFrameLength of 1 MB. This issue is fixed in versions 4.1.136.Final and 4.2.16.Final.
Published Updated Sources: NVD, netty (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
0%
ahead of 0% of scored CVEs
CVSS base
7.5
high
Remediation
The vendor's own words where we have them.
Upgrade io.netty:netty-codec-xml to 4.2.16.Final or later (maven advisory GHSA-v74w-7mr3-4qg3).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| netty | netty | < 4.1.136.Final | Vulnerable |
| netty | netty | >= 4.2.0.Final, < 4.2.16.Final | Vulnerable |
| maven | io.netty:netty-codec-xml | >= 4.2.0.Final, <= 4.2.15.Final | Vulnerable |
| maven | io.netty:netty-codec-xml | <= 4.1.135.Final | 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 | GitHub (CNA), netty (CNA), GHSA |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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.
CWE-400 · Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
- DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
- DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU)
- DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
- DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)
Mitigation: Design throttling mechanisms into the system architecture. The best protection is to limit the amount of resources that an unauthorized user can cause to be expended. A strong authentication and access control model will help prevent such attacks from occurring in the first place. The login application should be protected against DoS attacks as much as possible. Limiting the database access, perhaps by caching result sets, can help minimize the resources expended. To further limit the potential for a DoS attack, consider tracking the rate of requests received from users and blocking requests that exceed a defined rate threshold.
Weakness & attack patterns
- CWE-400Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Attack patterns reported against this CVE. The ATT&CK techniques below are inferred from its weakness class.
- T1499Endpoint Denial of Service
Public exploit
Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.
Repositories
1
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable netty, io.netty:netty-codec-xml.
- Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 1 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 13, 2026 · NVD
Initial · CVE published
Aug 13, 2026 · NVD
Added · GHSA-v74w-7mr3-4qg3 published (high)
Jul 24, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisory
References
8 on the record
- github.com/netty/netty/commit/5b68c61f37aa4a3045cba624cbea239655c9003b
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
- github.com/netty/netty/commit/bb2ff68a1fb71cb4b0eb9a9e17b66c52aff680c6
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
- github.com/netty/netty/releases/tag/netty-4.1.136.Final
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
- github.com/netty/netty/releases/tag/netty-4.2.16.Final
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
- github.com/netty/netty/security/advisories/GHSA-v74w-7mr3-4qg3
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
- github.com/netty/netty/pull/17063
Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- github.com/netty/netty/pull/17065
Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-v74w-7mr3-4qg3
Exploit, Third Party Advisory
Elsewhere on this site
- nettyevery CVE for this vendor
- mavenevery CVE for this vendor
- Remote Code Execsame 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-2026-73507 is Netty: Denial of Service in XmlFrameDecoder via CPU Exhaustion, a high vulnerability affecting netty, io.netty:netty-codec-xml from netty, maven. 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-2026-73507. Public exploit evidence is: 1 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 7.5 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.