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RabbitMQ EUVDEUVD-2026-87149

| CVE-2026-66073 MEDIUM
Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (CWE-400)
2026-09-25 GitHub_M
6.0
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: GitHub_M
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privilege management-tag account
  2. Delivery
    Script bulk PUT requests to /api/queues with unique node values
  3. Exploit
    get_node/1 calls list_to_atom leaking one atom each
  4. Execution
    Accumulate ~900K unique atoms
  5. Persist
    Atom table hits system_limit, VM crashes
  6. Impact
    All tenants lose broker availability

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Resource consumption 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

Requires an authenticated account carrying the RabbitMQ 'management' tag (the lowest management privilege) with access to at least one vhost, and the management plugin/HTTP API must be reachable by the attacker. The specific vector is the 'node' JSON field accepted by PUT /api/queues/:vhost/:name and the equivalent exchanges and bindings endpoints, routed through get_node/1 in rabbit_mgmt_util.erl which calls list_to_atom without a prior cluster-membership check. Exploitation is limited by needing valid management credentials (PR:L, not anonymous) and by requiring sustained abuse - on the order of 900,000 unique requests - to drive the atom table to system_limit, rather than a single request; impact is a node-wide VM crash affecting all tenants. Fixed configurations are versions 3.13.15, 4.0.20, 4.1.11, and 4.2.6.

Impact

This is a legitimate but moderate-severity availability issue. The supplied CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H, base 6.0) is internally consistent with the description: network-reachable management API, low complexity, an attack requirement (AT:P) reflecting the need to accumulate roughly 900K requests to exhaust the atom table, low-privilege authentication (any user holding the 'management' tag plus one vhost), and pure availability impact (VA:H) with no confidentiality or integrity loss. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit are present in the input, so exploitation is not confirmed in the wild. The realistic priority is tempered by three factors: exploitation requires valid management-API credentials (PR:L, not an anonymous internet attacker), it requires sustained abuse (~900K crafted requests) rather than a single packet, and the impact is a recoverable crash rather than data compromise. One data caveat: the fix commit diff provided (7f643114) modifies rabbit_auth_backend_oauth2.erl safe_to_atom for token tag scopes via to_existing_atom, which is NOT the get_node/1 vector in rabbit_mgmt_util.erl that the description names as the primary attack path - the commit appears to bundle multiple atom-hardening changes, but the specific get_node fix is not visible in the supplied evidence and should be verified against the release. Overall: a real, patch-worthy DoS for multi-tenant RabbitMQ operators, but not an emergency drop-everything issue.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A low-privilege tenant who holds only the RabbitMQ 'management' tag and access to a single vhost scripts repeated PUT /api/queues/:vhost/:name (or exchanges/bindings) requests, each supplying a unique unused value in the JSON 'node' field. Because get_node/1 converts the value with list_to_atom before any cluster-membership check, every distinct value permanently leaks one atom; after roughly 900K such requests the Erlang atom table hits system_limit and the VM crashes, taking down messaging for all tenants on the node. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and the attack requires sustained request volume rather than a single trigger.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 25, 2026

Atom table exhaustion in RabbitMQ's management HTTP API lets an authenticated user who holds only the 'management' tag crash the broker's Erlang VM, taking down every vhost and tenant hosted on that node. The 'node' JSON field accepted by PUT /api/queues/:vhost/:name - and by the equivalent exchanges and bindings endpoints - is passed through rabbit_nodes:make/1 to list_to_atom/1 in rabbit_mgmt_util.erl:get_node/1 (lines ~880-885) with no cluster-membership check first, so each unique value permanently leaks one atom until the VM hits system_limit. About 900,000 unique requests are needed rather than a single call, which keeps this a moderate-severity, sustained-abuse availability issue; no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and deployments are fixed by upgrading to 3.13.15, 4.0.20, 4.1.11 or 4.2.6.

RemediationAI

Upgrade to the fixed releases - 3.13.15, 4.0.20, 4.1.11 or 4.2.6 - per the advisory at https://github.com/rabbitmq/rabbitmq-server/security/advisories/GHSA-6v53-r759-jrvx; the patch is commit 7f64311471840e68f8cae09e4d4fdc4c8aca9229, which routes node-name parsing through binary_to_existing_atom-style helpers. Where immediate upgrade is not possible, treat the management API as a privileged interface: restrict the 'management' tag to the smallest set of operators who genuinely need it, and audit for accounts that hold the tag but no operational need, since CVE-2026-66073 needs only that lowest tier of privilege. Bind the management plugin's HTTP listener to a loopback or internal interface, or front it with a reverse proxy that enforces network ACLs - accepting that this breaks remote dashboards and CLI access for administrators who do not tunnel in. Because exploitation requires roughly 900,000 unique node values, rate limiting or alerting on repeated PUT requests to /api/queues/:vhost/:name, /api/exchanges/:vhost/:name and the bindings endpoints with high-cardinality 'node' fields is an effective detective and preventive control; the trade-off is additional state in the proxy or WAF, and aggressive rate limits can interrupt legitimate bulk provisioning scripts. Disabling the management plugin entirely removes the vector at the cost of the management UI, HTTP metrics and HTTP-based tooling - an option only for clusters where monitoring is handled out of band. Restarting the broker clears the leaked atoms, but does not prevent re-exploitation until a patched build is deployed.

Affected VersionsENISA

rabbitmq-server 4.2.0, < 4.2.6
rabbitmq-server 3.13.0, < 3.13.15
rabbitmq-server 4.1.0, < 4.1.11
rabbitmq-server 4.0.0, < 4.0.20

Affected Packages

euvd rabbitmq_server_3_13_0 fix: 3.13.15
euvd rabbitmq_server_4_0_0 fix: 4.0.20
euvd rabbitmq_server_4_1_0 fix: 4.1.11
euvd rabbitmq_server_4_2_0 fix: 4.2.6

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 4 packages in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

RabbitMQ is an Erlang/OTP application, and the BEAM atom table is a fixed-size, non-garbage-collected structure; once atoms are created they persist for the life of the VM, so any code path that converts untrusted input into a new atom is a resource-exhaustion primitive (CWE-400, uncontrolled resource consumption). The management plugin's HTTP API exposes queue, exchange and binding endpoints whose request bodies include a 'node' field; the handler routes that field through rabbit_nodes:make/1 into list_to_atom/1 inside get_node/1 in rabbit_mgmt_util.erl (lines 880-885), the code path used by direct_request/6. Because no check that the supplied name matches a real cluster member precedes the conversion, arbitrary unique strings become fresh atoms. A March 2026 refactoring (commit ea61ce2563) added safe helpers to rabbit_mgmt_nodes.erl - parse_node_name, safe_atom and require_node_name, built on binary_to_existing_atom - and converted several callers (QQ replica ops, wm_auth_attempts, wm_node_memory_ets, get_sort_reverse and rabbit_federation_mgmt), but get_node/1 was left unpatched. The referenced fix commit 7f64311471840e68f8cae09e4d4fdc4c8aca9229 applies the same principle elsewhere in the tree: it rewrites rabbit_auth_backend_oauth2 to use rabbit_data_coercion:to_existing_atom/1 (with a safe_to_atom/1 wrapper that swallows error:badarg and drops unknown tags) instead of to_atom/1, and adds a regression test asserting that a token carrying a non-existent tag atom fails to create it. At roughly 900,000 distinct 'node' values the atom table reaches system_limit and the VM terminates.

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Severity by source

Vendor (GitHub_M) PRIMARY 6.0 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 6.5 MEDIUM

Network-reachable management API with low-privilege authenticated user (PR:L), no user interaction, straightforward repeated requests (AC:L); pure availability impact from VM crash (A:H), no C/I.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE 6.5 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Primary rating from Vendor (GitHub_M).

CVSS VectorVendor: GitHub_M

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
Low
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

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Sep 25, 2026 - 17:04 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 25, 2026 - 16:06 cve.org
MEDIUM 6.0

DescriptionCVE.org

RabbitMQ is a messaging and streaming broker. From 3.13.0 until 3.13.15 and 4.0.20 and 4.1.11 and 4.2.6, Atom table exhaustion via management API node field. pUT /api/queues/:vhost/:name (and the exchanges and bindings endpoints) accepts a node JSON field. The value goes through rabbitnodes:make → listtoatom with no cluster membership check first. Each unique value permanently leaks one atom. A March 2026 refactoring (ea61ce2563) introduced safe helpers in rabbitmgmtnodes.erl (parsenodename, safeatom, and requirenodename, using binarytoexistingatom) and fixed several callers (QQ replica ops, wmauthattempts, wmnodememoryets, getsortreverse, and rabbitfederationmgmt), but getnode/1 in rabbitmgmtutil.erl:880-885, the primary vector used by directrequest/6, was not Roughly 900K requests crash the VM via systemlimit, and all tenants lose Any user with the management tag and one vhost, the lowest privilege This issue is fixed in versions 3.13.15 and 4.0.20 and 4.1.11 and 4.2.6.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 76% exploitable
Prevalence
High
RabbitMQ is a widely deployed enterprise messaging broker across cloud and on-prem
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High

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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

30
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +30
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.

CVE-2026-57219 HIGH POC
8.7 Jul 10

Sensitive credential disclosure in RabbitMQ affects installations running the management plugin with OAuth 2 configured

CVE-2019-11287 HIGH POC
7.5 Nov 23

Pivotal RabbitMQ, versions 3.7.x prior to 3.7.21 and 3.8.x prior to 3.8.1, and RabbitMQ for Pivotal Platform, 1.16.x ver

CVE-2026-63335 MEDIUM POC
6.3 Aug 18

Denial of service in the RabbitMQ Java client library (com.rabbitmq:amqp-client ≤ 5.30.0) allows a malicious or compromi

CVE-2016-9877 CRITICAL
9.8 Dec 29

An issue was discovered in Pivotal RabbitMQ 3.x before 3.5.8 and 3.6.x before 3.6.6 and RabbitMQ for PCF 1.5.x before 1.

CVE-2026-77411 CRITICAL
9.5 Sep 16

Parsing desynchronization in the RabbitMQ amqp091-go AMQP 0.9.1 client library before 1.13.0 lets a malicious or comprom

CVE-2026-77405 CRITICAL
9.4 Sep 16

RabbitMQ's amqp091-go Go client library, in all versions before 1.13.0, builds TLS configuration from amqps:// URIs with

CVE-2021-32718 MEDIUM POC
5.4 Jun 28

RabbitMQ is a multi-protocol messaging broker. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploita

CVE-2026-67404 CRITICAL
9.2 Sep 23

RabbitMQ brokers that use the OAuth2 plugin can silently fall back to disabled TLS certificate verification when no CA b

CVE-2026-77408 CRITICAL
9.1 Sep 16

Silent AMQP 0.9.1 metadata corruption in the RabbitMQ amqp091-go Go client library prior to 1.13.0 lets an application t

CVE-2026-67231 CRITICAL
9.1 Sep 23

TLS client-authentication bypass in the RabbitMQ trust-store plugin lets a remote unauthenticated attacker whose forged

CVE-2026-63336 MEDIUM POC
5.1 Aug 18

TLS certificate validation is completely bypassed in the RabbitMQ Java client library (`com.rabbitmq:amqp-client`) prior

CVE-2026-77412 HIGH
8.9 Sep 16

Denial of service in the official RabbitMQ Go client library amqp091-go (versions prior to 1.13.0): a malicious, comprom

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Moderate
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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