CVE-2026-42584: Netty codec http Netty Has HttpClientCodec Response Desynchronization Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2026-42584 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.3) netty has httpclientcodec response desynchronization vulnerability (CWE-444: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling')) affecting Netty codec http libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves netty has httpclientcodec response desynchronization. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.13.Final, 4.1.133.Final.
CVE-2026-42584 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 7.3
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).
How to Fix CVE-2026-42584
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Netty codec http dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
<dependency>
<groupId>io.netty</groupId>
<artifactId>netty-codec-http</artifactId>
<version>4.2.13.Final</version>
</dependency>
<dependency>
<groupId>io.netty</groupId>
<artifactId>netty-codec-http</artifactId>
<version>4.1.133.Final</version>
</dependency>
Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty
How to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-42584, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty
Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Netty codec http in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.2.13.Final), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.
Technical Details
Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-444: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling'), where the product acts as an intermediary http agent (such as a proxy or firewall) in the data flow between two entities such as a client and server, but it does not interpret malformed http requests or responses in ways that are consistent with how the messages will be processed by those entities that are at the ultimate destination. In Netty codec http, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.
Source Advisory Statement
CVE-2026-42584 Affected Netty codec http Versions
2 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
io.netty:netty-codec-http
|
Maven |
≥ 4.2.0.Alpha1
< 4.2.13.Final
|
4.2.13.Final
|
|
io.netty:netty-codec-http
|
Maven |
< 4.1.133.Final
|
4.1.133.Final
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-42584?
Which Netty codec http versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2026-42584?
Is netty-codec-http affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-42584?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-42584?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-42584?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-57rv-r2g8-2cj3",
"modified" : "2026-05-14T20:41:17Z",
"published" : "2026-05-07T00:21:48Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-42584" ],
"summary" : "Netty has HttpClientCodec response desynchronization",
"details" : "### Summary\n If HttpClientCodec is configured, there are use cases when a response body from one request, can be parsed as another's.\n\n### Details\nHttpClientCodec pairs each inbound response with an outbound request by `queue.poll()` once per response, including for `1xx`. If the client pipelines GET then HEAD and the server sends 103, then 200 with GET body, then 200 for HEAD, the queue pairs HEAD with the first 200. The HEAD rule then skips reading that message’s body, so the GET entity bytes stay on the stream and the following 200 is parsed from the wrong offset.\n\nPrerequisites \n- HTTP/1.1 pipelining\n- HEAD in the pipeline\n- The server sends 1xx\n\n### PoC\n\n```java\n @Test\n public void test() {\n EmbeddedChannel channel = new EmbeddedChannel(new HttpClientCodec());\n\n assertTrue(channel.writeOutbound(new DefaultFullHttpRequest(HttpVersion.HTTP_1_1, HttpMethod.GET, \"/1\")));\n ByteBuf request = channel.readOutbound();\n request.release();\n assertNull(channel.readOutbound());\n\n assertTrue(channel.writeOutbound(new DefaultFullHttpRequest(HttpVersion.HTTP_1_1, HttpMethod.HEAD, \"/2\")));\n request = channel.readOutbound();\n request.release();\n assertNull(channel.readOutbound());\n\n String responseStr = \"HTTP/1.1 103 Early Hints\\r\\n\\r\\n\" +\n \"HTTP/1.1 200 OK\\r\\nContent-Length: 5\\r\\n\\r\\nhello\" +\n \"HTTP/1.1 200 OK\\r\\n\\r\\n\";\n assertTrue(channel.writeInbound(Unpooled.copiedBuffer(responseStr, CharsetUtil.US_ASCII)));\n\n // Response 1\n HttpResponse response = channel.readInbound();\n assertEquals(HttpResponseStatus.EARLY_HINTS, response.status());\n LastHttpContent last = channel.readInbound();\n assertEquals(0, last.content().readableBytes());\n last.release();\n\n // Response 2\n response = channel.readInbound();\n assertEquals(HttpResponseStatus.OK, response.status());\n last = channel.readInbound();\n assertEquals(0, last.content().readableBytes());\n last.release();\n\n // Response 3\n FullHttpResponse response1 = channel.readInbound();\n assertTrue(response1.decoderResult().isFailure());\n assertEquals(0, response1.content().readableBytes());\n response1.release();\n\n assertFalse(channel.finish());\n }\n```\n\n### Impact\nIntegrity/availability of HTTP parsing on that connection, unsafe reuse of the socket.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "io.netty:netty-codec-http"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "4.2.0.Alpha1"
}, {
"fixed" : "4.2.13.Final"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.2.12.Final"
}
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "io.netty:netty-codec-http"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "4.1.133.Final"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.1.132.Final"
}
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty/security/advisories/GHSA-57rv-r2g8-2cj3"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42584"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-444" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2026-05-07T00:21:48Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2026-05-13T19:17:24Z"
}
}