Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessReach HTTP/2 endpoint over network
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DeliveryOpen HTTP/2 connection
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ExploitSend crafted streams/frames
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ExecutionForce unbounded resource allocation
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PersistExhaust server memory/CPU
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ImpactDeny service to legitimate users
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Resource allocation limits
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 | The vulnerable target must have the Windows HTTP/2 protocol handler enabled and reachable - i.e., an HTTP/2-capable endpoint such as IIS or an HTTP.sys-based service accepting HTTP/2 (typically over TLS) on a network-reachable interface. Per the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), no authentication and no user interaction are required against such a configuration, so an internet-exposed HTTP/2 service is directly at risk. What limits exploitation: endpoints that do not negotiate HTTP/2 (HTTP/1.1-only, or HTTP/2 disabled) are not exposed to this vector, and hosts reachable only from trusted internal networks face reduced risk; impact is confined to availability (service disruption) with no data compromise. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, base 7.5) indicates a network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated attack with no user interaction and impact limited entirely to availability - consistent with a resource-exhaustion DoS rather than a compromise. No EPSS score, SSVC decision, POC, or KEV entry was provided in the input, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified from the data given; it is not confirmed actively exploited. The realistic priority is moderate-to-high for internet-facing HTTP/2 endpoints (IIS, HTTP.sys services) because the barrier to exploitation is low and the affected footprint is large, but it does not enable code execution or data exposure. Note a caveat: the CVSS metrics assert a pure network vector with no privileges, yet no independent EPSS or exploit-maturity signal is available to confirm whether working exploitation is trivial or requires a non-default HTTP/2 configuration - verify against the Microsoft advisory before assuming worst case. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An unauthenticated attacker opens HTTP/2 connections to an internet-facing Windows service (for example an IIS site or HTTP.sys-hosted application) and issues a stream of crafted HTTP/2 frames or streams that each trigger unbounded server-side allocation. Because the attack requires no authentication, no user interaction, and low complexity, a single modest client can drive the server into memory/CPU exhaustion and take the service offline. No public POC was identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 14, 2026
Denial of service in the Windows HTTP/2 network stack allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to exhaust server resources and render affected services unavailable across a broad range of Windows client and server releases (Windows 10/11 and Windows Server 2016 through 2025). Reported by Microsoft with a vendor patch available; there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and it is not listed in CISA KEV. The 7.5 CVSS reflects high availability impact with no confidentiality or integrity loss.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2026-49788 (Patch available per vendor advisory); consult the per-edition fixed builds in the Microsoft Security Update Guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-49788 and deploy the cumulative update matching each affected Windows 10/11 or Windows Server edition. Where immediate patching is not possible on internet-facing hosts, compensating controls include disabling HTTP/2 on the affected endpoint so connections fall back to HTTP/1.1 (on HTTP.sys/IIS this is done via the EnableHttp2 registry settings under HTTP\Parameters, with the trade-off of losing HTTP/2 multiplexing performance benefits), placing a reverse proxy or WAF/load balancer in front to terminate and rate-limit HTTP/2 connections and cap concurrent streams, and restricting exposure of the service to trusted networks. Each mitigation reduces performance or reachability rather than fixing the underlying allocation flaw, so treat them as temporary until the update is installed.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 14 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The flaw lies in Windows' implementation of the HTTP/2 protocol, most likely surfaced through the kernel-mode HTTP.sys stack that underpins IIS, HTTP.sys-hosted services, and other HTTP/2 endpoints on Windows. The root cause is CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling): the HTTP/2 handler accepts protocol-level constructs without enforcing adequate bounds, allowing an attacker to force disproportionate memory, CPU, or connection-state allocation. HTTP/2's multiplexing, stream, and header/frame handling are a recurring class of DoS amplification primitives (e.g., prior 'Rapid Reset'-style stream abuse), where cheap client requests translate into expensive server-side allocation. The CPE data confirms the affected surface is the OS-level HTTP/2 component shipped across Windows 10 (1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2), Windows 11 (24H2, 25H2, 26H1), and Windows Server 2016/2019/2022/2025.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated HTTP/2 DoS with no user interaction; impact is availability-only, so C:N/I:N/A:H and unchanged scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
DescriptionCVE.org
Allocation of resources without limits or throttling in HTTP/2 allows an unauthorized attacker to deny service over a network.
Executive ViewAI
A denial-of-service vulnerability in the Windows HTTP/2 network stack (CVE-2026-49788) affects Windows 10, 11, and Server 2016-2025, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to exhaust server resources and render hosted services unavailable. This impacts any organization running web services, APIs, or applications on affected Windows infrastructure. Microsoft has released a patch; prompt remediation is required to prevent service disruptions.
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
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
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EUVD-2026-43803
GHSA-wrm6-j53r-328q
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB