Process termination via unbounded retained message parts
Published Jun 16, 2026 · Updated Aug 28, 2026
Memory exhaustion in WebSockets ws allows remote attackers to terminate Node.js processes by sending numerous tiny WebSocket parts. The Receiver retains one Buffer wrapper per buffered chunk or message fragment without bounding the part count, so memory use scales with structural entries rather than payload bytes. Any network peer that can establish a WebSocket connection can exhaust memory with modest traffic; the bounded consequence is termination of the affected process.
Summary
What happened
Memory exhaustion in WebSockets ws allows remote attackers to terminate Node.js processes by sending numerous tiny WebSocket parts. The Receiver retains one Buffer wrapper per buffered chunk or message fragment without bounding the part count, so memory use scales with structural entries rather than payload bytes. Any network peer that can establish a WebSocket connection can exhaust memory with modest traffic; the bounded consequence is termination of the affected process.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-48779
- Published
- Jun 16, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 28, 2026
- Vendor
- 389 Directory Server
- Product
- Red Hat Quay
- Classifications
- CWE-1050, CWE-770, CWE-400, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 16, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 28, 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?
Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.
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
- Upstream tiny-fragment proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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