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vLLM EUVDEUVD-2026-107002

| CVE-2026-114051 HIGH
Uncaught Exception (CWE-248)
2026-10-21 VulnCheck GHSA-qwv5-gq8g-3jwj
7.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Reach exposed /inference/v1/generate endpoint
  2. Delivery
    Send request with null max_tokens and oversized min_tokens
  3. Exploit
    Validation skip triggers uncaught VLLMValidationError
  4. Execution
    EngineCore input thread dies while /health stays 200
  5. Impact
    All subsequent generation requests hang until manual restart

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Exception handling completeness
Exploitation Conditions

Requires network reachability to the vLLM /inference/v1/generate endpoint on a server running a version before 0.31.0. The specific trigger is a single generate request that sets max_tokens to null (which causes the vulnerable code to SKIP the min_tokens <= max_tokens check) combined with an oversized min_tokens value; both conditions together produce the uncaught VLLMValidationError that kills the EngineCore input thread. Limiting/mitigating factors: the description claims unauthenticated access, but the vendor CVSS vector asserts PR:L (some authentication), so deployments that gate the inference API behind authentication or network ACLs materially reduce exposure; no user interaction is needed, and recovery requires a manual restart because /health falsely reports healthy.

Impact

This is a genuine availability-only denial-of-service flaw (CWE-248, Uncaught Exception), not a confidentiality/integrity issue - the CVSS 4.0 vector confirms VC:N/VI:N/VA:H, so the 7.1 score is driven entirely by the ability to take the service down. The attack vector is network (AV:N) with low complexity (AC:L) and no user interaction (UI:N), and the impact is amplified because a single malformed request permanently wedges the EngineCore input thread while /health keeps returning 200, meaning load balancers and orchestration health checks will NOT detect the outage and will not auto-restart the pod - this makes it meaningfully worse than a typical crash-DoS. There is a clear and important CONFLICT in the input: the description states 'Unauthenticated remote attackers' can trigger this, but the vendor-supplied CVSS 4.0 vector sets PR:L (privileges required / authenticated). This must be verified with the vendor/advisory before basing exposure decisions on it - if the endpoint is genuinely reachable without auth, real-world risk is higher than the 7.1 suggests. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit were provided; exploitation probability signals are therefore absent rather than low, so the absence should not be read as 'safe.' Overall this is a real operational-availability priority for anyone exposing vLLM inference endpoints, tempered by the authentication ambiguity.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who can reach a vLLM server's /inference/v1/generate endpoint sends a single crafted request that omits max_tokens (null) and supplies an oversized min_tokens value, bypassing the min_tokens <= max_tokens validation; the EngineCore input thread then dies on an uncaught VLLMValidationError. Because /health continues to return 200, orchestration never restarts the process, and every subsequent generation request hangs until an operator manually restarts the service. No public exploit code was identified in the provided data, but the request is trivial to construct from the description.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 21, 2026

Crafted /inference/v1/generate requests can permanently stall vLLM before 0.31.0 by killing the EngineCore input thread with an uncaught VLLMValidationError while /health continues to return 200. The trigger is a generate request that sets max_tokens to null-causing the min_tokens <= max_tokens validation to be skipped-together with an oversized min_tokens value, after which all subsequent generation requests hang until a manual restart. This is an availability-only flaw (CWE-248); the supplied CVSS 4.0 vector scores it 7.1 with PR:L, while our independent assessment uses CVSS 3.1 with PR:N, so authentication or network ACLs in front of the inference API materially reduce exposure, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Upgrade vLLM to version 0.31.0 or later, which is the first release outside the affected range; the vendor advisory is at https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/security/advisories/GHSA-4xqp-c3mv-qff7 and the VulnCheck advisory is at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/vllm-before-0.31.0-denial-of-service-via-min-tokens-in-inference-v1-generate. If immediate upgrade is not possible, place the /inference/v1/generate endpoint behind authentication and network ACLs-the supplied CVSS 4.0 vector requires PR:L, so gated access reduces exposure, but this does not fix the underlying validation bug and may break legitimate API clients. An upstream proxy can also reject or sanitize requests that set max_tokens to null or that supply an oversized min_tokens, with the trade-off of added proxy complexity and possible false positives for valid null max_tokens use cases. Because /health returns 200 after the EngineCore input thread dies, add synthetic generation checks or process-level monitoring rather than relying solely on /health, and restart the service to recover a hung instance.

Affected VersionsENISA

vllm 0 <0.31.0

Affected Packages

euvd vllm fix: 0.31.0

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

vLLM is an open-source LLM inference and serving engine, and the CPE cpe:2.3:a:vllm-project:vllm:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* with the stated range before 0.31.0 identifies affected deployments. The vulnerable path is the /inference/v1/generate endpoint's input validation: when max_tokens is null, the code skips the min_tokens <= max_tokens check, allowing an oversized min_tokens to reach the EngineCore input thread and raise VLLMValidationError, which is uncaught; that matches CWE-248 (Uncaught Exception) and terminates the thread rather than returning a controlled error. Because the request handler remains alive and /health still returns 200, liveness probes and orchestration systems can falsely report the service as healthy even though generation is dead, forcing manual restart for recovery. The supplied CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N) and our independent CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) both confirm availability-only impact with no confidentiality or integrity effect; the input tags include 'Information Disclosure', but that label is inconsistent with the assessed VC:N/VI:N/VA:H impact.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.5 HIGH

Network-reachable, single malformed request (AC:L, UI:N); availability-only impact (A:H, C/I:N); PR:N follows the description's 'unauthenticated' claim, though the vendor vector states PR:L.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
None
Vulnerable system: Integrity
None
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 21, 2026 - 02:01 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 21, 2026 - 00:36 cve.org
HIGH 7.1

DescriptionCVE.org

vLLM before 0.31.0 skips the min_tokens <= max_tokens check for /inference/v1/generate requests with a null max_tokens, so the EngineCore input thread later dies on an uncaught VLLMValidationError while /health still returns 200. Unauthenticated remote attackers can send one request with an oversized min_tokens to hang all subsequent generation requests until manual restart.

Technical POC Analysis

CWE-248 (Uncaught Exception), with CWE-754 as the underlying improper-check condition.

Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

vLLM deployments running versions prior to 0.31.0 can be rendered unavailable by a crafted inference request that permanently stalls the engine while health checks continue to report success, requiring manual restart. This affects teams and customers relying on vLLM-hosted AI generation, creating outage risk and operational burden for production inference services. Leadership should prioritize a rapid inventory and access-control review because no vendor-released patch was identified at time of analysis and recovery depends on manual intervention.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified; restrict inference API exposure with authentication and network ACLs, enforce server-side validation to reject null max_tokens or oversized min_tokens, apply rate limiting, monitor generation throughput separately from /health, and maintain a manual restart procedure.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 70% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
popular open-source LLM inference server, common in AI deployments but not everywhere
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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