Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessClient connects to malicious WebSocket server
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DeliveryServer responds with invalid server_max_window_bits parameter
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ExploitClient receives compressed frame with out-of-range value
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Executionzlib InflateRaw instantiation fails
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ImpactRangeError crashes client process
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 | No special conditions — remote unauthenticated exploitation against undici WebSocket clients with permessage-deflate compression enabled (default configuration). Attacker must control the WebSocket server endpoint. |
| Impact | CVSS 7.5 (HIGH). Attack vector: Network. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: None. User interaction: None. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker could exploit this flaw, immediate process termination. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026
Node.js undici WebSocket client denial-of-service vulnerability allows remote attackers to crash the process by sending a malformed permessage-deflate compression parameter that bypasses validation and triggers an uncaught exception. The vulnerability exists because the client fails to properly validate the server_max_window_bits parameter before passing it to zlib, enabling any WebSocket server to terminate connected clients. No patch is currently available.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
ImpactThe undici WebSocket client is vulnerable to a denial-of-service attack due to improper validation of the server_max_window_bits parameter in the permessage-deflate extension. When a WebSocket client connects to a server, it automatically advertises support for permessage-deflate compression. [CVSS 7.5 HIGH]
RemediationAI
Monitor vendor advisories for a patch. Restrict network access to the affected service where possible.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in npm
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
ImpactThe undici WebSocket client is vulnerable to a denial-of-service attack due to improper validation of the server_max_window_bits parameter in the permessage-deflate extension. When a WebSocket client connects to a server, it automatically advertises support for permessage-deflate compression. A malicious server can respond with an out-of-range server_max_window_bits value (outside zlib's valid range of 8-15). When the server subsequently sends a compressed frame, the client attempts to cre
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Primary rating from Vendor (ce714d77-add3-4f53-aff5-83d477b104bb).
CVSS VectorVendor: ce714d77-add3-4f53-aff5-83d477b104bb
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
ImpactThe undici WebSocket client is vulnerable to a denial-of-service attack due to improper validation of the server_max_window_bits parameter in the permessage-deflate extension. When a WebSocket client connects to a server, it automatically advertises support for permessage-deflate compression. A malicious server can respond with an out-of-range server_max_window_bits value (outside zlib's valid range of 8-15). When the server subsequently sends a compressed frame, the client attempts to create a zlib InflateRaw instance with the invalid windowBits value, causing a synchronous RangeError exception that is not caught, resulting in immediate process termination.
The vulnerability exists because:
- The isValidClientWindowBits() function only validates that the value contains ASCII digits, not that it falls within the valid range 8-15
- The createInflateRaw() call is not wrapped in a try-catch block
- The resulting exception propagates up through the call stack and crashes the Node.js process
Blast Radius
ecosystem impact- 28 npm packages depend on undici (16 direct, 23 indirect)
Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 7.0.0.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity denial-of-service vulnerability (CVE-2026-2229) affects the undici WebSocket client library, allowing attackers to crash applications that use WebSocket connections. Organizations running applications dependent on undici are at immediate risk of service disruptions, and the absence of an available patch requires urgent mitigation planning.
Disable permessage-deflate compression extension in undici client configuration if supported by your application; implement WAF rules to detect and block malformed server_max_window_bits parameters in WebSocket upgrade handshakes; restrict WebSocket connections to trusted, validated servers only; use network segmentation to limit blast radius; monitor for abnormal connection terminations and resource exhaustion patterns; prepare application restart procedures for rapid recovery from DoS events.
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
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
Related Vulnerabilities in Undici WebSocket DoS and Protocol Vulnerabilities
View all 6undici is an HTTP/1.1 client, written from scratch for Node.js.`undici` is vulnerable to SSRF (Server-side Request Forge
Memory exhaustion denial of service in the undici WebSocket client (versions 6.17.0 and later) allows a malicious or com
Cross-user information disclosure in undici's cache interceptor allows authenticated users' responses to be served from
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CRLF injection in undici's HTTP/1.1 dispatcher enables HTTP header injection and potential request smuggling when applic
Undici is an HTTP/1.1 client for Node.js. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable,
undici is an HTTP/1.1 client, written from scratch for Node.js.`=< undici@5.8.0` users are vulnerable to _CRLF Injection
Cross-user information disclosure and a parse-time denial of service in undici's HTTP cache interceptor affect versions
Certificate pinning and custom TLS identity checks can be silently bypassed in undici versions 4.0.0 through 6.29.0, 7.0
Persistent cache poisoning and disclosure of user-specific responses affect undici 7.0.0 through 7.30.0 and 8.0.0 throug
Same weakness CWE-248 – Uncaught Exception
View allSame technique Denial Of Service
View allVendor StatusVendor
SUSE
Severity: High| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| SUSE Liberty Linux 10 | Fixed |
| SUSE Liberty Linux 8 | Fixed |
| SUSE Liberty Linux 9 | Fixed |
EUVD-2026-11704
GHSA-v9p9-hfj2-hcw8
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
VulDB
Exploit-DB