Application crash via deeply nested JSON form binding
Published Jun 2, 2022 · Updated Apr 23, 2025
Uncontrolled resource consumption in Play Framework 2.8.3 through 2.8.15 allows remote attackers to crash applications via nested JSON. The form binder accepts object and array nesting without a depth limit while mapping JSON values, allowing heap use to grow until OutOfMemoryError. Exposure requires a route that binds JSON through the affected APIs; the default body parser qualifies, and default fatal-error handling terminates the process.
Summary
What happened
Uncontrolled resource consumption in Play Framework 2.8.3 through 2.8.15 allows remote attackers to crash applications via nested JSON. The form binder accepts object and array nesting without a depth limit while mapping JSON values, allowing heap use to grow until OutOfMemoryError. Exposure requires a route that binds JSON through the affected APIs; the default body parser qualifies, and default fatal-error handling terminates the process.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-31018
- Published
- Jun 2, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 23, 2025
- Vendor
- Play Framework
- Product
- Play Framework
- Classifications
- CWE-400, T1499
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 2, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 23, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=>= 2.8.3, < 2.8.16
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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