Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Network-reachable via gRPC but requires authenticated low-privilege access and specific repeated invocation patterns; impact is solely availability of the grpc-device service.
Primary rating from Vendor (NI).
CVSS VectorVendor: NI
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
There is a memory leak in NI grpc-device BeginSidebandStream that may result in denial of service due to memory exhaustion. This affects NI grpc-device 2.17.0 and prior versions.
AnalysisAI
Memory exhaustion denial of service in NI grpc-device's BeginSidebandStream RPC endpoint allows authenticated network attackers to crash or destabilize the server by triggering a cumulative memory leak with each invocation. All versions of NI grpc-device up to and including 2.17.0 are affected, along with NI InstrumentStudio as a dependent product. No public exploit code exists and this vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV; however, the network-accessible attack vector makes it relevant for any deployment where the grpc-device server is reachable by untrusted authenticated clients.
Technical ContextAI
NI grpc-device is a gRPC-based server developed by National Instruments that exposes hardware instrument APIs over a network, enabling remote programmatic control of test and measurement equipment. The BeginSidebandStream function provides a sideband channel mechanism for high-throughput, low-latency data streaming alongside the main gRPC transport. CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime) identifies the root cause: memory allocated during stream initialization or execution is not properly released when the stream terminates - whether normally or on error paths - resulting in unbounded heap growth across repeated calls. NI InstrumentStudio (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:ni:instrumentstudio:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is also confirmed as an affected product, likely because it bundles or interfaces with the grpc-device server component. The affected CPE cpe:2.3:a:ni:grpc-device:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers all versions through 2.17.0.
RemediationAI
The primary remediation is to upgrade NI grpc-device to a version beyond 2.17.0 per vendor guidance. An exact patched release version is not confirmed from the available data - consult the NI security advisory at https://www.ni.com/en/support/security/available-critical-and-security-updates-for-ni-software/2026/multiple-vulnerabilities-in-ni-grpc-device-server.html and the GitHub advisory at https://github.com/ni/grpc-device/security/advisories/GHSA-j4qc-5v3f-rf87 to identify the specific fixed build for your platform. As a compensating control prior to patching, restrict network access to the grpc-device gRPC port (typically 31763/TCP) to only trusted clients and control planes via firewall rules or VPN - this reduces the authenticated attacker pool and limits exposure without affecting measurement functionality. Implementing memory usage monitoring and automatic service restart on threshold breach can contain impact in the interim, with the trade-off that restarts introduce brief service interruptions for all connected clients. Rate-limiting BeginSidebandStream calls per authenticated identity, if supported by the deployment environment, would further limit an attacker's ability to accumulate the leak.
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Remote denial of service in NI grpc-device 2.17.0 and earlier allows unauthenticated network attackers to crash the stre
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Same weakness CWE-401 – Memory Leak
View allSame technique Denial Of Service
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-38029