rabbitmq-c: size_t underflow in AMQP frame length computation leads to out-of-bounds read
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-125 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
rabbitmq-c is a C-language AMQP client library for RabbitMQ. Prior to 0.16.0, a malicious AMQP server can send an undersized HEADER or METHOD frame during client login and cause unsigned size_t underflow in amqp_handle_input() in librabbitmq/amqp_connection.c. The parser subtracts HEADER_SIZE, fixed per-frame fields, and FOOTER_SIZE from state->target_size without first checking the minimum frame length. The wrapped encoded.len value is passed through amqp_decode_properties() to amqp_decode_table_internal(), where it defeats bounds checks and causes an out-of-bounds read and process crash. An on-path attacker can also trigger the issue when AMQP traffic is not protected by TLS with certificate validation. The demonstrated impact is denial of service, with no reliable memory disclosure or code execution shown. This issue is fixed in version 0.16.0.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA rabbitmq-c (alanxz) Fixed in 0.16.0
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-44235
References
More alanxz vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-32213 rabbitmq-c: Heap buffer overflow in AMQP login handshake via undersized connection.tune.frame_max CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
Sources
- CVE-2026-44235 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-44235 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2026-44235 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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