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mod_qos EUVDEUVD-2026-108022

| CVE-2026-114458 MEDIUM
Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787)
2026-10-22 patrick@puiterwijk.org GHSA-vh3m-p78w-c5fp
5.9
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: puiterwijk
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Open many concurrent low-rate connections
  2. Delivery
    Exceed connection-record array bounds
  3. Exploit
    Overflow heap buffer with IP records
  4. Execution
    Corrupt heap memory
  5. Impact
    Crash web server process (DoS)

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, write limits
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation

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 mod_qos connection rate monitoring is active on the target (e.g. per-client connection/rate tracking directives enabled) - this is the specific feature whose IP-record array is overflowed, and the vulnerable code path is not reached if that monitoring is not configured. The attacker must also establish and sustain numerous concurrent low-rate connections simultaneously to exceed the record buffer, reflected in the CVSS AC:H rating; a single or small number of connections will not trigger the overflow. No authentication or user interaction is needed (PR:N/UI:N). The practical limiter is therefore the non-default configuration (mod_qos installed and rate monitoring enabled) plus the sustained-connection effort required.

Impact

This is a genuine but moderate-priority issue, consistent with its CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.9 (Medium). The vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H shows a network-reachable, unauthenticated flaw (PR:N, AV:N) with no confidentiality or integrity impact and availability-only impact (C:N/I:N/A:H) - fully aligned with the described DoS/crash outcome. The key limiting signal is AC:H: the attacker must maintain numerous concurrent low-rate connections to win the out-of-bounds write race, so exploitation is not trivially reliable. No EPSS score was provided (unknown exploitation probability), the CVE is NOT on CISA KEV, and no public POC is referenced - so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis. There is no SSVC decision data in the input. Net: a real, remotely triggerable DoS worth patching on exposed servers, but not an emergency - no evidence of active exploitation and the availability-only impact plus high attack complexity keep real-world urgency modest. Note the heap corruption (CWE-787) could in principle have worse-than-DoS potential, but the description and CVSS (I:N) scope impact to a crash only.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote, unauthenticated attacker opens and sustains a large number of concurrent low-rate connections to an Apache server running mod_qos with connection rate monitoring enabled. Because the module does not verify array bounds when recording client IP connection records, the flood pushes more records than the allocated buffer holds, corrupting heap memory and crashing the web server process. No public exploit is referenced, and the high attack complexity means the attacker may need repeated attempts to reliably trigger the corruption.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 22, 2026

Heap memory corruption in the Apache mod_qos module allows a remote attacker to crash the web server process by holding many concurrent low-rate connections open, overflowing the fixed-size array the module uses to record client IP addresses. The vulnerable code path is only reached when mod_qos connection rate monitoring (per-client connection tracking directives) is enabled, and the attacker must simultaneously sustain a large number of slow connections to exceed the allocated buffer - reflected in the CVSS 3.1 score of 5.9 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/A:H) and the AC:H rating. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation was identified at time of analysis; the practical barrier is the non-default configuration plus the sustained-connection effort required.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: no exact fixed version is available in the provided data; consult the Red Hat advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-114458 and the Bugzilla record at https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2558393 to obtain the current mod_qos release containing the array-bounds fix, then upgrade the module and restart httpd. If an updated module is not yet deployable, the most effective compensating control is to disable mod_qos connection rate monitoring - comment out or remove the QS_* connection/rate tracking directives (for example the client connection and request rate limits) and reload the server; the trade-off is loss of per-client QoS throttling, which increases exposure to ordinary connection floods and slow-rate abuse. As a second layer, front the server with a reverse proxy or load balancer that enforces per-source connection caps and slow-connection timeouts (for example nginx limit_conn/limit_req or a WAF rate rule), accepting the added hop and the need to keep those thresholds tuned. Restricting the exposed listener where feasible and monitoring for abnormally high concurrent connection counts from single sources can buy detection time but does not remediate the underlying out-of-bounds write; the module upgrade remains the only complete fix.

Affected VersionsENISA

mod_qos 11.76
mod_qos 11.79
mod_qos 11.74

Affected Packages

euvd mod_qos no fix

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

mod_qos is a third-party Apache HTTP Server module providing quality-of-service controls such as maximum concurrent connection limits, per-client request rate limits, and connection-rate monitoring. CWE-787 (out-of-bounds write) is the root cause here: when connection rate monitoring is active, the module records client IP addresses in a fixed-size array whose boundaries are not validated before inserting new entries. An attacker who opens and maintains numerous concurrent low-rate connections can push more records into the array than the allocated heap buffer can hold, corrupting adjacent heap metadata and ultimately crashing the server process. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) confirms the impact is availability-only with no confidentiality or integrity loss, and the high attack complexity reflects that the overflow requires a sustained, high-volume concurrency pattern rather than a single crafted request. Because the flaw lives in the shared module code rather than the Apache core, any deployment loading mod_qos with rate-tracking directives is potentially exposed regardless of the underlying httpd version, as reflected in the Red Hat Bugzilla entry and Red Hat CVE page.

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Severity by source

Vendor (puiterwijk) PRIMARY 5.9 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI 5.9 MEDIUM

Remotely reachable and unauthenticated (AV:N/PR:N); AC:H because many sustained concurrent connections must race the bounds bug; availability-only crash, so C:N/I:N/A:H.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (puiterwijk).

CVSS VectorVendor: puiterwijk

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

A flaw was found in mod_qos. An unauthenticated remote attacker can cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by maintaining numerous concurrent low-rate connections to a target server. When connection rate monitoring is active, the module fails to verify array boundaries when recording client IP addresses, allowing more connection records to be added than the allocated buffer can hold. This issue leads to heap memory corruption, which can crash the web server process.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 77% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
optional third-party Apache module, not enabled by default
Social Media
1
Sightings
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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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· derived
Medium

Priority Score

30
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +30
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

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