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Apache HTTP Server EUVDEUVD-2026-90912

| CVE-2026-63686 HIGH
NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)
2026-10-01 apache GHSA-h4g4-79cj-82qx
High
Disputed · 7.5 Vendor: apache
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Control or compromise a proxied backend
  2. Delivery
    Return response with malformed charset
  3. Exploit
    Partial-then-failed charset conversion in mod_xml2enc
  4. Execution
    NULL pointer dereference crashes worker
  5. Impact
    Denial of service

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

Apache HTTP Server must be configured as a proxy that runs backend responses through mod_xml2enc (in practice via mod_proxy_html content rewriting), and the attacker must control or have compromised the proxied backend server so it can return a response declaring a charset whose conversion partially succeeds and then fails. Exploitation is strongly limited by this trust boundary: the attacker cannot act as an ordinary external client but must sit on the upstream/backend side, so deployments that proxy only trusted internal backends, or that do not enable mod_xml2enc/mod_proxy_html, are not exposed. Impact is confined to denial of service (worker/child process crash); there is no confidentiality or integrity effect.

Impact

No CVSS vector, EPSS score, KEV listing, or POC was provided in the input, so several standard prioritization signals are missing and are stated here explicitly rather than inferred. Based on the description alone, this is a NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476) producing only a denial-of-service outcome with no confidentiality or integrity impact. The decisive limiting factor is the threat model: exploitation requires an 'untrusted backend server' to return a crafted proxied response, meaning Apache must be deployed as a reverse/forward proxy with mod_xml2enc processing backend content (typically via mod_proxy_html) AND be proxying to a backend the attacker controls or has compromised. This is a non-default, comparatively uncommon configuration, and proxying to untrusted backends is already discouraged. There is no CISA KEV entry and no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Net assessment: despite the ubiquity of Apache HTTP Server itself, the real-world risk of this specific issue is low-to-moderate and situational - it is a DoS-only bug gated behind an unusual trust boundary, not a high-urgency widespread-exploitation threat. Patch during normal maintenance unless you knowingly proxy untrusted backends through mod_xml2enc.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An organization runs Apache HTTP Server (before 2.4.69) as a reverse proxy using mod_proxy_html/mod_xml2enc to rewrite content from a backend application. An attacker who controls or compromises that backend returns a response declaring a charset whose character-set conversion partially succeeds and then fails, triggering a NULL pointer dereference that crashes the handling worker and denies service. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and success depends on the proxy being configured to run untrusted backend content through mod_xml2enc.

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 – Oct 01, 2026

Denial of service in Apache HTTP Server releases before 2.4.69, where the mod_xml2enc filter dereferences a NULL pointer when a proxied response declares a charset whose conversion partially succeeds and then fails, crashing the handling child process. Per the assessed vector (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L), the crash is reachable without credentials over the network, but exploitation is gated by a trust boundary: the request path must run proxied backend responses through mod_xml2enc (in practice mod_proxy_html content rewriting), and the attacker must control or have compromised that upstream backend server - ordinary external clients cannot directly trigger it. Impact is limited to availability (worker/child process termination with no confidentiality or integrity effect), and no public exploit code, KEV listing, or EPSS score was provided at time of analysis, so this is best treated as a low-to-moderate priority hardening item for reverse-proxy deployments that transform untrusted upstream content.

RemediationAI

Primary fix: upgrade to Apache HTTP Server 2.4.69 or later per the vendor advisory at https://httpd.apache.org/security/vulnerabilities_24.html, which is the documented release that resolves this NULL pointer dereference in mod_xml2enc (Vendor-released patch: 2.4.69). If an immediate upgrade is not feasible, the most direct compensating control is to stop routing untrusted backend responses through the vulnerable filter - set ProxyHTMLEnable Off (or remove/disable mod_proxy_html and mod_xml2enc from the loaded module set) on proxy vhosts until patched; the trade-off is that HTML/XML link rewriting and encoding fix-ups for proxied content stop working, which can break reverse-proxy layouts that depend on in-flight URL rewriting. A second option is to constrain the trust boundary explicitly: restrict proxying to backends you control, ensure the upstream response charset is normalized by the backend or by a front filter, and terminate/validate upstream responses before they reach httpd (for example with a strict intermediary), accepting the added architectural complexity. Because impact is confined to child-process crashes, process supervision and rate limiting on proxied paths reduce blast radius but do not fix the defect; treat them as temporary mitigations only, and note that no exploit code or active exploitation was reported in the available intelligence, so remediation can be scheduled in normal patch cycles for environments where the proxy trust boundary is already enforced.

Affected VersionsENISA

Apache HTTP Server 2.4.0 ≤2.4.68

Affected Packages

euvd apache_http_server no fix

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

mod_xml2enc is an Apache HTTP Server module that supplies character-set conversion and encoding-aware buffering to markup-processing filters; it is most commonly pulled in by mod_proxy_html when a reverse proxy rewrites HTML/XML content returned by a backend. When a proxied response advertises a charset, mod_xml2enc invokes the conversion pipeline (iconv/libxml2-backed) across its input buffer, and here a conversion that succeeds partially and then fails on a later chunk leaves the module's state inconsistent - the error-handling path then dereferences a NULL pointer. That is CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference), a classic robustness defect in an error path rather than a memory-corruption primitive, which is why the assessed impact is availability-only (C:N/I:N/A:L) and the crash terminates an Apache child/worker process rather than granting code execution. The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:apache_software_foundation:apache_http_server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* on all platforms, i.e. every Apache HTTP Server build prior to 2.4.69. Exposure is therefore configuration-dependent rather than universal: an httpd instance is only in scope if it is acting as a content-rewriting proxy with mod_xml2enc and mod_proxy_html loaded, and the response being parsed is one the operator does not fully trust.

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Severity by source

Sources disagree (Low–High)
Vendor (apache) PRIMARY 7.5 LOW
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI 5.3 MEDIUM

Malformed response from an attacker-controlled backend over the network needs no auth or user interaction (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N); impact is availability-only and limited to a recoverable worker crash, so A:L and C/I:N.

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

vuln.today treats the vendor’s rating as authoritative. A higher third-party CVSS (e.g. CISA-ADP) is shown for transparency but does not drive the headline severity.

CVSS VectorVendor: apache

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

A NULL pointer dereference in mod_xml2enc in Apache Software Foundation Apache HTTP Server before 2.4.69 on all platforms allows an untrusted backend server to cause a denial of service via a proxied response with a charset whose conversion partially succeeds then fails.

Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.4.69, which fixes this issue.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 76% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
Apache HTTP Server is among the most widely deployed web servers worldwide
Social Media
1
Sightings
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 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· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact· derived
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

20
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +20
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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.

CVE-2026-23918 HIGH POC
8.8 May 04

Remote code execution via double-free memory corruption in Apache HTTP Server 2.4.66's HTTP/2 protocol implementation al

CVE-2026-34059 HIGH POC
7.5 May 04

Buffer over-read in Apache HTTP Server through 2.4.66 enables remote unauthenticated information disclosure at network s

CVE-2026-28780 CRITICAL
9.8 May 05

Remote heap buffer overflow in Apache HTTP Server's mod_proxy_ajp module allows complete system compromise when proxying

CVE-2026-29167 CRITICAL
9.8 Jun 08

Remote code execution in Apache HTTP Server versions 2.4.0 through 2.4.67 is possible through a use-after-free condition

CVE-2026-42535 CRITICAL
9.1 Jun 08

Improper path handling in the mod_dav_fs module of Apache HTTP Server 2.4.67 and earlier permits a WebDAV content author

CVE-2026-93546 HIGH
8.8 Oct 01

An integer overflow in the mod_dav_fs module of Apache HTTP Server through 2.4.68 allows an authenticated WebDAV client

CVE-2026-24072 HIGH
8.8 May 04

Local .htaccess authors can escalate privileges to read arbitrary files as the httpd daemon user in Apache HTTP Server 2

CVE-2026-63292 HIGH
7.5 Oct 01

Stack-based buffer overflow in the mod_vhost_alias module of Apache HTTP Server through 2.4.68 allows a remote, unauthen

CVE-2026-59685 HIGH
7.5 Oct 01

An out-of-bounds write in Apache HTTP Server 2.4.0 through 2.4.68 on Windows can corrupt memory when the server processe

CVE-2026-29169 HIGH
7.5 May 04

Remote attackers can crash Apache HTTP Server 2.4.66 and earlier by sending malicious requests that trigger a NULL point

CVE-2026-42536 HIGH
7.5 Jun 08

Denial of service in Apache HTTP Server 2.4.0 through 2.4.67 allows remote unauthenticated attackers to crash the server

CVE-2026-34355 HIGH
7.5 Jun 08

Denial of service in Apache HTTP Server 2.4.0 through 2.4.67 stems from a heap buffer overflow in the mod_proxy_html out

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Important
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Server Applications 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 Affected

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