Service crash via unchecked EXT32 payload allocation
Published Jan 2, 2026 · Updated Jan 2, 2026
Denial of service in MessagePack for Java before 0.9.11 allows remote attackers to crash JVM applications via crafted EXT32 data. MessageUnpacker.readPayload(int), reached through ExtensionValue.getData(), allocates a byte array from the declared payload length before verifying that the payload exists. An application must deserialize attacker-controlled MessagePack content and materialize the extension data; a tiny valid input can exhaust heap and terminate its process.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in MessagePack for Java before 0.9.11 allows remote attackers to crash JVM applications via crafted EXT32 data. MessageUnpacker.readPayload(int), reached through ExtensionValue.getData(), allocates a byte array from the declared payload length before verifying that the payload exists. An application must deserialize attacker-controlled MessagePack content and materialize the extension data; a tiny valid input can exhaust heap and terminate its process.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-21452
- Published
- Jan 2, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 2, 2026
- Vendor
- MessagePack-CSharp
- Product
- MessagePack for Java
- Classifications
- CWE-400, CWE-789, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 2, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 2, 2026Record 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=< 0.9.11
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- GitHub advisory EXT32 heap-exhaustion proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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