Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessSend POST to proxied route with chunked origin
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DeliveryHalf-close connection during response reparse
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ExploitWin reentrant write-ready callback race
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ExecutionTrigger null pointer dereference
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ImpactCrash server (denial of service)
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Null pointer safety, defensive checks
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 | Exploitation requires that ATS be deployed as a forward/reverse proxy to an origin server that returns chunked transfer-encoded responses, and the attacker must tear down a client POST request via TCP half-close precisely while that chunked origin response is being reparsed from a reentrant write-ready callback. This is a timing-dependent race (reflected as CVSS AT:P), so it is not reliably triggered by a single request and typically needs repeated attempts. The condition is further scoped to builds carrying the CVE-2021-32564 flow-control backports that introduced the flow, limiting exposure to affected versions 9.2.15, 10.1.4, and 10.2.0. Impact is limited to a crash (denial of service) - no code execution, data disclosure, or integrity loss - and the race nature, not authentication (none required, PR:N), is the primary practical limiting factor. |
| Impact | This is a denial-of-service null pointer dereference (CWE-476) in Apache Traffic Server. The vendor-supplied CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N) with VA:H and VC:N/VI:N describes a network-reachable, unauthenticated availability-only impact (crash), which is consistent with the description of a server crash. The critical nuance is the AT:P metric (Attack Requirements: Present), which correctly reflects that this is a timing-dependent race condition - exploitation is not deterministic and depends on winning a narrow window where a client POST is half-closed while a chunked origin response is being reparsed from a reentrant write-ready callback. The 8.2 score is driven almost entirely by the unauthenticated network reachability and total availability loss, not by ease or reliability of exploitation. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC are present in the provided data, so there is no evidence of active exploitation; the risk is currently theoretical/latent. In practical terms this is a 'patch on normal cadence' item for most operators rather than an emergency: it is a crash-only bug (no RCE, no data exposure), it requires a race condition rather than a single deterministic request, and it only manifests under a specific proxying flow. Conflicting-signal note: the CVSS vector claims AV:N/AC:L, but the description makes clear exploitation is a reentrant-callback timing race, which is why AT:P is set - treat 'low complexity' as misleading on its own without the AT:P qualifier. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A remote, unauthenticated attacker repeatedly sends POST requests to an ATS instance proxying to an origin that returns chunked responses, then abruptly half-closes each connection at the moment the origin response is being reparsed. By racing this teardown against the reentrant write-ready callback, the attacker eventually triggers a null pointer dereference that crashes the proxy, denying service to all users. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and because it is a timing race (CVSS AT:P), reliable triggering requires repeated attempts rather than a single request. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv2 – Oct 21, 2026
Apache Traffic Server 9.2.15, 10.1.4, and 10.2.0 can be crashed by a remote, unauthenticated attacker through a null pointer dereference (CWE-476) while proxying chunked origin responses. The race requires a client POST request to be torn down via TCP half-close at the moment ATS reparses a chunked origin response from a reentrant write-ready callback, so it is timing-dependent and typically needs repeated attempts; impact is limited to denial of service (crash), with no code execution, data disclosure, or integrity loss. No public exploit was identified at time of analysis, and vendor-released fixed versions are 9.2.16, 10.1.5, and 10.2.1.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
Remote unauthenticated attackers can crash affected Apache Traffic Server instances (9.2.15, 10.1.4, and 10.2.0) by timing a client POST teardown via TCP half-close against a chunked origin response being reparsed in a reentrant write-ready callback, triggering a null pointer dereference. The flaw is a timing-dependent race introduced by the CVE-2021-32564 flow-control backports; exploitation is probabilistic because the attacker cannot control server-side scheduling, and impact is limited to availability (CVSS 3.1 5.9, AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/C:N/I:N/A:H). No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation was identified in the provided intelligence, and vendor-released patch versions 9.2.16, 10.1.5, and 10.2.1 remove the race window.
RemediationAI
Upgrade to Apache Traffic Server 9.2.16, 10.1.5, or 10.2.1; these are the vendor-released fixed versions per the Apache advisory at https://lists.apache.org/thread/r95dq29ywcd1f4x30snxlqmb12z4s4kc. If immediate upgrade is not possible, reduce exposure by restricting untrusted client access to ATS proxy endpoints that forward to origins returning chunked transfer-encoded responses, accepting the availability trade-off of limiting legitimate traffic; rate-limiting client POST requests may make the timing-dependent race harder to win repeatedly but does not eliminate it. Fronting ATS with a proxy that normalizes or terminates chunked origin responses can avoid the vulnerable reparse path, but changes response semantics and adds operational complexity. Monitor ATS worker crashes and restarts for signs of attempted triggering.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
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
Apache Traffic Server is a caching forward/reverse proxy. The defect is a null pointer dereference in the response-reparsing path used when an origin returns Transfer-Encoding: chunked and a client POST is half-closed while a reentrant write-ready callback is active. The problematic flow was introduced by backports of the CVE-2021-32564 flow-control changes, so only builds carrying those backports-specifically 9.2.15, 10.1.4, and 10.2.0-are in scope. CWE-476 means a pointer expected to reference valid response or connection state is NULL at dereference, crashing the worker process rather than enabling memory corruption; the race condition (CVSS 4.0 AT:P; CVSS 3.1 AC:H) means an attacker cannot deterministically win the window with a single request.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Network-reachable and unauthenticated (AV:N/PR:N), but a timing-dependent reentrant-callback race makes it AC:H; crash-only so C:N/I:N and A:H.
Primary rating from Vendor (apache).
CVSS VectorVendor: apache
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
Apache Traffic Server can crash with a null pointer dereference when a client POST request is torn down via half-close while a chunked origin response is being reparsed from a reentrant write-ready callback, a timing-dependent race introduced by the CVE-2021-32564 flow-control backports.
This issue affects Apache Traffic Server: 9.2.15, 10.1.4, 10.2.0.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 9.2.16, 10.1.5, or 10.2.1, which fix the issue.
Executive ViewAI
Apache Traffic Server versions 9.2.15, 10.1.4, and 10.2.0 can be crashed by a remote denial-of-service condition in chunked origin response handling, threatening availability for organizations using ATS as an edge or CDN proxy. No public exploit was identified at time of analysis, and the timing-dependent nature of the crash may limit reliability, but repeated attempts against internet-facing proxies could still cause service disruption. Leadership should prioritize rapid inventory and patching to fixed releases to avoid customer-facing outages, while noting there is no evidence of code execution, data disclosure, or integrity loss.
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
A null pointer dereference occurs when a program attempts to access memory through a pointer that has been set to NULL (address 0x0).
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
More in Apache Traffic Server
View allApache Traffic Server versions 8.0.1 through 8.1.11, 9.0.0 through 9.2.15, 10.0.0 through 10.1.4, and 10.2.0 ship an exp
Remote denial of service in Apache Traffic Server (8.0.0-8.1.9, 9.0.0-9.2.14, 10.0.0-10.1.3) allows unauthenticated atta
Out-of-bounds write and integer overflow in Apache Traffic Server's MIME and HTTP header parsing lets remote attackers c
Request smuggling and policy bypass in Apache Traffic Server (branches 8.0.0-8.1.9, 9.0.0-9.2.14, and 10.0.0-10.1.3) ari
Response-framing desync in Apache Traffic Server (8.0.0 through 8.1.11, 9.0.0 through 9.2.15, 10.0.0 through 10.1.4, and
Request smuggling in Apache Traffic Server 8.0.0 through 8.1.11, 9.0.0 through 9.2.15, 10.0.0 through 10.1.4, and 10.2.0
Unauthenticated remote attackers can drive HTTP transactions to completion against Apache Traffic Server instances that
Denial of service in Apache Traffic Server 8.0.0-8.1.9, 9.0.0-9.2.14, and 10.0.0-10.1.3 lets remote unauthenticated atta
Apache Traffic Server 9.2.15, 10.1.4, and 10.2.0 can be driven into a denial-of-service condition through log amplificat
Out-of-bounds write and limit-bypass flaws in several experimental plugins shipped with Apache Traffic Server (8.0.0-8.1
Improper certificate generation in the Apache Traffic Server certifier plugin lets remote attackers dictate the contents
Memory corruption in Apache Traffic Server's remap configuration handling lets remote attackers trigger a use-after-free
EUVD-2026-107538
GHSA-vv7x-cx95-rcmh
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
VulDB
Exploit-DB