CVE-2026-56745: Netty: [SpdyHttpDecoder] ByteBuf Reference Leak on RST_STREAM Leads to Native Memory Exhaustion
The SpdyHttpDecoder handler in Netty’s SPDY-to-HTTP codec allocates a pooled ByteBuf when processing a client-initiated SYN_STREAM frame with FLAG_FIN=0, storing the partially-constructed FullHttpRequest in an internal map (messageMap) to accumulate subsequent DATA frames. When the remote peer sends an RST_STREAM for that stream, or when the accumulated content exceeds maxContentLength, the decoder removes the entry from the map but never releases the pooled ByteBuf, permanently leaking the allocated memory.
References
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-jppx-w49h-x2qq
- github.com/netty/netty/commit/5b68c61f37aa4a3045cba624cbea239655c9003b
- github.com/netty/netty/commit/bb2ff68a1fb71cb4b0eb9a9e17b66c52aff680c6
- github.com/netty/netty/releases/tag/netty-4.1.136.Final
- github.com/netty/netty/releases/tag/netty-4.2.16.Final
- github.com/netty/netty/security/advisories/GHSA-jppx-w49h-x2qq
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-56745
Code Behaviors & Features
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