Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessReach TLS listener over network
-
DeliverySend crafted ClientHello with malicious SNI
-
ExploitTrigger null/dangling dereference in TLS handling
-
ExecutionCrash Traffic Server process
-
PersistRepeat handshake to sustain outage
-
ImpactDenial of service to proxied clients
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 only the ability to initiate a TLS/HTTPS handshake against an Apache Traffic Server instance that terminates TLS (i.e., an HTTPS listener with SNI processing enabled - the normal configuration for reverse-proxy/CDN edge use). The trigger is attacker-controlled SNI/TLS handshake data, which ATS parses before authentication, so no credentials, user interaction, or prior access are needed (PR:N/UI:N). Limiting factors: the instance must be reachable on its TLS port and must be running an affected version (8.0.0-8.1.9, 9.0.0-9.2.14, or 10.0.0-10.1.3); instances that do not terminate TLS or are firewalled to trusted clients have materially reduced exposure. Impact is confined to a crash/denial of service - there is no confidentiality or integrity impact (C:N/I:N). |
| Impact | Signals are consistent and point to a genuine but availability-only concern. The CVSS 3.1 vector is network, low-complexity, no privileges, no user interaction with High availability impact and no confidentiality/integrity impact - meaning easy remote crashing but no data exposure or code execution. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or POC was provided, so exploitation is not confirmed active and no exploit code is known at time of analysis; the CWE-476 class and pre-auth SNI reachability make crash-triggering plausible but generally not weaponizable beyond DoS. SSVC-style reading: exploitation = none observed, automatable = likely yes (a repeatable malformed handshake can be scripted), technical impact = partial (availability only, no system takeover). This is a real patch-soon priority for internet-facing ATS deployments due to easy pre-auth DoS, but it is not a code-execution emergency. Note that versions 8.0.0-8.1.9 are listed as affected but no 8.x fix is offered (only 9.2.15 and 10.1.4), implying the 8.x branch is end-of-life - verify with Apache. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker on the network opens a TLS connection to an internet-facing Apache Traffic Server instance and sends a crafted ClientHello with a malformed or specific SNI value that drives ATS into the vulnerable TLS/SNI code path, dereferencing a null or dangling pointer and crashing the process. Repeating the handshake keeps the proxy offline, denying service to all legitimate users behind it. No authentication or user interaction is required (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 29, 2026
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 attackers to crash the proxy by triggering NULL pointer dereferences and dangling references during TLS and SNI processing. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/A:H) reflects a network-reachable, low-complexity availability impact with no confidentiality or integrity loss. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and it is not listed in CISA KEV, but the flaw is Apache-reported and patched in 9.2.15 and 10.1.4.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: upgrade to Apache Traffic Server 9.2.15 (for the 9.x branch) or 10.1.4 (for the 10.x branch) as the primary and complete fix. Deployments still on the 8.0.0-8.1.9 branch should migrate to a supported 9.2.15+ or 10.1.4+ release since no 8.x fix is offered. If immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure by restricting who can reach the TLS listener - place ATS behind an upstream TLS terminator or load balancer that validates/normalizes SNI before traffic reaches ATS, or firewall the HTTPS port to trusted client ranges (trade-off: breaks open/public proxy use cases and CDN edge reachability). Monitor for repeated process crashes/restarts and enable automatic process supervision (traffic_manager/systemd restart) to limit outage duration as a stopgap only. Full details are in the Apache advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread/5prl9glcm9g2swnq9hqxvnokylm1gr6d.
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 (ATS) is a high-performance forward and reverse caching HTTP/HTTPS proxy widely used as an edge and CDN layer. The vulnerability lives in its TLS termination and Server Name Indication (SNI) handling code, where the server inspects the client-supplied SNI value during the TLS handshake to select the appropriate certificate/routing context. The root cause is CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference), compounded by use of dangling references - pointers to objects whose lifetime has ended. When ATS processes certain TLS/SNI conditions, code paths dereference a pointer that is null or references freed/out-of-scope state, causing the process to crash. Because SNI is parsed before authentication and is fully attacker-controlled, the parsing logic is reachable by any client that can open a TLS connection.
Know when Apache Traffic Server gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Pre-auth attacker-controlled SNI over the network (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) crashes the process for availability-only impact (A:H, C:N/I:N), no scope change.
Primary rating from Vendor (apache).
CVSS VectorVendor: apache
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
Apache Traffic Server can crash from null dereferences and dangling references in TLS and SNI handling.
This issue affects Apache Traffic Server: from 8.0.0 through 8.1.9, from 9.0.0 through 9.2.14, from 10.0.0 through 10.1.3.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 9.2.15 or 10.1.4, which fix the issue.
Articles & Coverage 1
Executive ViewAI
Apache Traffic Server versions 8.0.0 through 10.1.3 are vulnerable to unauthenticated remote denial-of-service attacks that can crash proxy infrastructure through TLS/SNI processing flaws. Organizations relying on Apache Traffic Server for critical proxy operations face potential service disruption affecting all downstream users and business continuity. Immediate inventory and patching of affected versions is required to restore availability assurance.
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
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
Denial-of-service and cache-integrity corruption in Apache Traffic Server (8.0.0-8.1.9, 9.0.0-9.2.14, 10.0.0-10.1.3) all
EUVD-2026-50217
GHSA-29wv-p4qw-p36r
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB