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OTP inets httpd EUVDEUVD-2026-69238

| CVE-2026-74835 HIGH
Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (CWE-770)
2026-09-01 EEF
8.7
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: EEF
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Send HTTP/1.1 chunked request to inets httpd
  2. Delivery
    Bypass MaxBodySize guard in decode_size accumulator
  3. Exploit
    Buffer oversized body in OTP process heap
  4. Execution
    Exhaust available memory on OTP node
  5. Impact
    Deny service to legitimate HTTP clients

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 target must be running Erlang/OTP's inets httpd specifically (not Cowboy, Ranch, Phoenix, or any other HTTP server) on an affected OTP version. The inets httpd must be configured with a finite MaxBodySize limit; if MaxBodySize is set to the atom nolimit, no security boundary is configured and the bypass has no security impact. Chunked transfer encoding (Transfer-Encoding: chunked) is standard HTTP/1.1 behavior and does not require any special server-side configuration to trigger. No authentication is required (CVSS PR:N confirmed). Exploitation is limited to network paths where inets httpd is directly reachable from the attacker; applications fronted by a reverse proxy that enforces its own body size limits are protected.

Impact

The provided CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VA:H) scores 8.7, reflecting a remotely exploitable, unauthenticated, low-complexity attack with high availability impact and no confidentiality or integrity consequences. EPSS data is absent from the input and cannot be assessed. The CVE is not in the CISA KEV catalog and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis. Real-world risk is moderated by deployment footprint: most production Erlang/Elixir services use Cowboy, Ranch, or Phoenix/Plug rather than inets httpd, limiting the exposed population. For organizations that do expose inets httpd to untrusted networks, the attack is automatable and requires no exploit sophistication - standard HTTP chunked encoding suffices. SSVC signals: exploitation status = none confirmed; automatable = yes; technical impact = partial (availability only). The high CVSS score is appropriate for the class of vulnerability but should be weighed against actual inets httpd deployment prevalence in the affected environment.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated remote attacker sends an HTTP/1.1 POST request to an inets httpd endpoint using chunked transfer encoding, streaming many small chunks whose accumulated total far exceeds the server's configured MaxBodySize. Because the chunked decoder does not compare the running body total against MaxBodySize during accumulation, the OTP process buffers the entire oversized payload in memory, leading to memory exhaustion and denial of service for the targeted httpd node. No public exploit code is required - standard HTTP client tooling capable of sending chunked requests is sufficient.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 01, 2026

Erlang/OTP's inets HTTP server (httpd) fails to enforce an administrator-configured request body-size limit when processing chunked transfer-encoded requests, enabling unauthenticated remote attackers to exhaust server memory and cause denial of service. Affected OTP branches span 17.x through 27.3.4.16, 28.x through 28.5.0.5, and 29.x through 29.0.5, covering inets versions 5.10 through 9.7.1. No public exploit code has been identified and the CVE is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, but the zero-authentication, low-complexity network attack path makes this an operationally straightforward DoS risk for any deployment exposing inets httpd to untrusted clients.

RemediationAI

Upgrade to OTP 27.3.4.17 (inets 9.3.2.7), OTP 28.5.0.6 (inets 9.6.2.3), or OTP 29.0.6 (inets 9.7.2) depending on the OTP branch in use. Three patch commits are available: https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/0bceff0c2987cae83d9d4a77c5ecacd6d01b8b86, https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/8e1ca42b64df6c41306affbe8dc129bdbd4042c7, and https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/7f9c460d1818c2afb78fbd01f8d8b81343bbb011. If immediate patching is not feasible, place a reverse proxy such as nginx in front of inets httpd and configure a body-size cap (e.g., client_max_body_size 10m) - this prevents oversized chunked bodies from reaching the vulnerable code, though it introduces a dependency on correct proxy configuration and may reject legitimate large uploads. As an additional measure, restrict inets httpd listener exposure to trusted internal networks via firewall rules, reducing the attack surface at the cost of limiting external client access.

Affected VersionsENISA

otp 84adefa331c4159d432d22840663c38f155cd4c1 <*
otp 9.7 <9.7.2
otp 29.0 <29.0.6
otp 5.10 <9.3.2.7
otp 28.0 <28.5.0.6
otp 17.0 <27.3.4.17
otp 9.4 <9.6.2.3

Affected Packages

euvd otp fix: 9.3.2.7, 9.6.2.3, 9.7.2, 27.3.4.17, 28.5.0.6, 29.0.6

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

The flaw resides in lib/inets/src/http_lib/http_chunk.erl within Erlang/OTP's inets library, specifically in the decode_size/4 function that parses HTTP chunked transfer-encoding bodies. CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) is the root cause class: the chunked-decoding path accumulated incoming chunk sizes into a running total (AccLength) but never compared that total against the administrator-configured MaxBodySize parameter before buffering data. The non-chunked request path enforced the limit correctly. The patch (commit 0bceff0c) adds an explicit guard ChunkSize when AccLength + ChunkSize > MaxBodySize -> throw_error(body_too_long, MaxBodySize) inside decode_size and wires a new size_error branch into httpd_request_handler.erl to return an HTTP 413-class response rather than silently buffering indefinitely. CPE: cpe:2.3:a:erlang:otp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*.

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Severity by source

Vendor (EEF) PRIMARY 8.7 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.5 HIGH

Network-reachable endpoint, no credentials required, no user interaction; sole impact is memory exhaustion causing availability loss with unchanged scope.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Red Hat 7.5 HIGH

Primary rating from Vendor (EEF).

CVSS VectorVendor: EEF

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
None
Vulnerable system: Integrity
None
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

The inets application HTTP server httpd fails to enforce a configured body-size limit on chunked request.

This issue affects OTP from OTP 17.0 before OTP 27.3.4.17, from OTP 28.0 before OTP 28.5.0.6, and from OTP 29.0 before OTP 29.0.6, corresponding to inets from 5.10 before 9.3.2.7, from 9.4 before 9.6.2.3, and from 9.7 before 9.7.2. Whether OTP before OTP 17.0, corresponding to inets before 5.10, is affected is unknown.

Technical POC Analysis

CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling).

Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Erlang/OTP's inets HTTP server on affected versions is vulnerable to remote, unauthenticated denial-of-service attacks that can crash services without authentication or advanced exploitation techniques. Organizations relying on these systems for web services face immediate risks to uptime and customer accessibility until patches are applied.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 75% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
inets httpd rarely used in production; Cowboy and Phoenix dominate Erlang/Elixir HTTP
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment MSRC Vendor GitHub VulDB

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 HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
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
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

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

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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Important
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Server Applications 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Server Applications 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 Affected

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