CVE-2026-54874Network attack vector

Remote service interruption via DTLS buffer retention

Published Aug 25, 2026 · Updated Aug 25, 2026

Memory exhaustion in OpenSSL DTLS record buffering allows remote attackers to interrupt services with forged future-epoch records. During a handshake, dtls_rlayer_buffer_record retains each record's roughly 16 KB read buffer instead of copying only the small on-wire record, with up to 100 records queued per connection. A peer that can open many DTLS associations can amplify small traffic by about 1,200 times; retention remains bounded near 1.7 MB per connection.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.52%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Memory exhaustion in OpenSSL DTLS record buffering allows remote attackers to interrupt services with forged future-epoch records. During a handshake, dtls_rlayer_buffer_record retains each record's roughly 16 KB read buffer instead of copying only the small on-wire record, with up to 100 records queued per connection. A peer that can open many DTLS associations can amplify small traffic by about 1,200 times; retention remains bounded near 1.7 MB per connection.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-54874
Published
Aug 25, 2026
Updated
Aug 25, 2026
Vendor
OpenSSL Project
Product
OpenSSL
Classifications
CWE-405, T1499.003
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 25, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=1.0.2 <1.0.2zr
  2. Affected versionversion=1.1.1 <1.1.1zi
  3. Affected versionversion=3.0.0 <3.0.22
  4. Affected versionversion=3.4.0 <3.4.7
  5. Affected versionversion=3.5.0 <3.5.8
  6. Affected versionversion=3.6.0 <3.6.4
  7. Affected versionversion=4.0.0 <4.0.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

OpenSSL Project · OpenSSLversion=1.0.2 <1.0.2zr; version=1.1.1 <1.1.1zi; version=3.0.0 <3.0.22; version=3.4.0 <3.4.7; version=3.5.0 <3.5.8; version=3.6.0 <3.6.4; version=4.0.0 <4.0.2

Published CVSS scores

7.5CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-405Asymmetric Resource Consumption (Amplification)
T1499.003Application Exhaustion Flood

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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