CVE-2026-50011: Netty Unbounded Pre-allocation Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2026-50011 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) unbounded pre-allocation vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Netty libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves unbounded pre-allocation in redisarrayaggregator from resp array length. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.15.Final, 4.1.135.Final.
CVE-2026-50011 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 7.5
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:N/I:N/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2026-50011
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Netty 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-redis</artifactId>
<version>4.2.15.Final</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>io.netty</groupId>
<artifactId>netty-codec-redis</artifactId>
<version>4.1.135.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.nettyHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-50011, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.nettyAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Netty in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.2.15.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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Netty, 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-2026-50011 Affected Netty Versions
2 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
io.netty:netty-codec-redis
|
Maven |
≥ 4.2.0.Final
< 4.2.15.Final
|
4.2.15.Final
|
|
io.netty:netty-codec-redis
|
Maven |
< 4.1.135.Final
|
4.1.135.Final
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-50011?
Which Netty versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2026-50011?
Is netty-codec-redis affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-50011?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-50011?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-50011?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-5w86-c3rq-vjj7",
"modified" : "2026-06-15T20:46:16Z",
"published" : "2026-06-15T20:46:16Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-50011" ],
"summary" : "Netty: Unbounded pre-allocation in RedisArrayAggregator from RESP array length",
"details" : "### Summary\nRedisArrayAggregator pre-allocates ArrayList with initial capacity equal to the RESP array element count declared in an array header. That count is taken from the wire before the corresponding child messages exist. A small malicious header can claim a huge initial capacity.\n\n### Details\nThe aggregator starts a new aggregation level when it receives an ArrayHeaderRedisMessage. For positive lengths it pushes AggregateState, whose constructor runs `new ArrayList<>(length)`. No configurable maximum is applied in this handler, and the peer does not need to supply the array elements for the backing array allocation to occur.\n\nIn the same pipeline, RedisDecoder enforces RedisConstants.REDIS_MESSAGE_MAX_LENGTH for bulk string lengths but does not apply that cap to array header lengths. Declared array sizes can therefore be extremely large while still passing decoding, and the aggregator immediately attempts Object[] reservation.\n\nio.netty.handler.codec.redis.RedisDecoder#decodeLength\nio.netty.handler.codec.redis.RedisArrayAggregator#decodeRedisArrayHeader\n\n### Impact\nAvailability / resource exhaustion via unbounded pre-allocation from untrusted RESP array headers.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "io.netty:netty-codec-redis"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "4.2.0.Final"
}, {
"fixed" : "4.2.15.Final"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.2.14.Final"
}
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "io.netty:netty-codec-redis"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "4.1.135.Final"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.1.134.Final"
}
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty/security/advisories/GHSA-5w86-c3rq-vjj7"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-50011"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty/releases/tag/netty-4.1.135.Final"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty/releases/tag/netty-4.2.15.Final"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400", "CWE-770" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-15T20:46:16Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2026-06-12T16:16:31Z"
}
}