Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessReach exposed .NET-based network service
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DeliverySend crafted resource-intensive request
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ExploitTrigger unbounded allocation (CWE-770)
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ExecutionExhaust memory/CPU resources
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ImpactService crash or unavailability
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Resource allocation limits
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | The target must be a network-reachable service or application built on an affected version of Microsoft .NET Framework (3.5, 4.6.2/4.7/4.7.1/4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1) or the System.Security.Cryptography.Xml package (<10.0.13) that processes attacker-supplied input through the vulnerable resource-allocation path. Per CVSS PR:N/UI:N/AC:L, no authentication, no user interaction, and no special configuration are required against affected default installations - exploitation succeeds remotely over the network. The practical limiting factors are: the vulnerable .NET service must be exposed to the attacker's network path, and the input must reach the component that performs the uncontrolled allocation (the description does not name the specific feature/protocol, so the exact triggering surface should be verified against the MSRC advisory). Impact is limited to availability only (A:H, C:N, I:N) - no code execution or data exposure. |
| Impact | This is a network-exploitable, unauthenticated denial-of-service vulnerability (CVE-2026-96959, CWE-770, uncontrolled resource allocation) in Microsoft .NET Framework and the System.Security.Cryptography.Xml package. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) is internally consistent with the description - remote, low-complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, with impact confined to availability (C:N/I:N) and no scope change. The 7.5 HIGH score is driven entirely by availability loss; there is no confidentiality or integrity exposure, so this is a service-disruption issue, not an RCE or data-breach risk. CISA's SSVC framework rates Exploitation as 'none' (no observed or public exploitation) but Automatable as 'yes' with 'partial' Technical Impact, meaning an attacker could reliably script the resource-exhaustion trigger at scale even though no exploitation has been seen. No EPSS score was provided in the input, and the CVE is NOT in CISA KEV, so there is no evidence of active exploitation. No POC was referenced. Net assessment: a credible, easily-automatable DoS against a ubiquitous platform that warrants prompt patching, but its priority is tempered by the absence of exploitation signals and the availability-only impact - it is not a confidentiality/integrity emergency. SSVC 'Automatable: yes' is the strongest risk signal here and argues against deferring the patch despite 'Exploitation: none'. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A remote, unauthenticated attacker sends specially crafted input over the network to a service built on the affected .NET Framework or System.Security.Cryptography.Xml component, causing it to allocate resources (memory/CPU) without limit. Repeated or amplified requests exhaust server resources and crash or hang the application, denying service to legitimate users. No public exploit code was identified at time of analysis, but SSVC marks the attack as automatable, so weaponization would be straightforward. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Unauthenticated remote attackers can exhaust memory or other pooled runtime resources and cause denial of service against network-reachable services built on affected versions of Microsoft .NET Framework (3.5, 4.6.2/4.7/4.7.1/4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1) and the System.Security.Cryptography.Xml package before 10.0.13, because the runtime allocates resources without limits or throttling (CWE-770). The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) confirms the attack requires no authentication, no user interaction and no special configuration against default installations, with impact limited to availability and no confidentiality or integrity loss. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation is present in the source data (CISA SSVC exploitation: none; EPSS not reported), although the flaw is assessed as automatable, meaning exploitation can be scripted once a triggering input path is identified.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: apply the Microsoft .NET Framework updates that bring affected builds to 2.0.50727.9188/3.0.30729.9171 (3.5), 4.7.4150.0 (4.6.2/4.7/4.7.1/4.7.2), 4.8.4811.0 (4.8) and 4.8.9363.0 (4.8.1), and upgrade the System.Security.Cryptography.Xml package to 10.0.13 or later; details and download links are in the MSRC advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96959. Plan for a service restart or IIS application pool recycle after the .NET Framework update, since runtime patches require reloading the affected process, and rebuild/republish any application that ships System.Security.Cryptography.Xml as a direct or transitive dependency so the fixed assembly actually loads. If patching must be deferred, reduce the exploit window by capping request body and XML payload sizes at the reverse proxy or WAF (trade-off: legitimate large payloads may be rejected), applying per-client rate limits and connection throttling on any endpoint that processes attacker-supplied input (trade-off: may slow high-volume legitimate clients), and isolating or temporarily disabling internet exposure of .NET services that do not require it until the runtime builds above are deployed. None of these compensating controls removes the underlying missing-limit condition, so treat them as temporary and confirm exposure reduction by re-scanning the patched build numbers.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 4 packages in nuget, euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
CVE-2026-96959 is an instance of CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling), the same root-cause class that underpins many .NET denial-of-service flaws: attacker-supplied input drives an allocation path that lacks an effective ceiling, allowing a single or repeated request to consume memory, thread-pool slots or similar pooled resources until the process or host becomes unresponsive. The affected surface spans the .NET Framework runtime builds enumerated in EUVD-2026-100280 and the standalone System.Security.Cryptography.Xml NuGet package, which is used by .NET applications for XML digital signature and encryption processing. Because the description and MSRC advisory do not name the specific feature, protocol or API that performs the uncontrolled allocation, the precise triggering surface (for example, an XML-processing endpoint, WCF/WSDL handler or ASP.NET request path) must be confirmed against the vendor advisory before targeted mitigations are chosen. CVSS PR:N/UI:N/AC:L indicates the vulnerable component is reachable and exploitable directly over the network in default configurations, and the A:H/C:N/I:N rating matches a pure availability-impacting resource-exhaustion condition.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Remote unauthenticated resource-exhaustion with no user interaction gives AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N; impact is availability-only (A:H), so C:N/I:N and scope unchanged.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Allocation of resources without limits or throttling in .NET allows an unauthorized attacker to deny service over a network.
Technical POC Analysis
Evidence note: the supplied data is the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-c399-9853-6jmj only.
Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.
Executive ViewAI
Microsoft .NET Framework (versions 3.5, 4.6.2 through 4.8.1) and the System.Security.Cryptography.Xml package before 10.0.13 are exposed to an unauthenticated, network-based denial-of-service condition that can exhaust runtime memory or pooled resources on any default installation. Because no credentials or user interaction are required, any externally reachable service built on these components could be disrupted, making this an availability risk for customer-facing and internal applications. Leadership should prioritize patching to avoid service outages and the operational and reputational costs that accompany them.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
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EUVD-2026-100280
GHSA-c399-9853-6jmj
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB