ws: Memory exhaustion DoS from tiny fragments and data chunks
Priority HIGH 72CWE-400Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 23 fixed, 16 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-400.
Summary
ws is an open source WebSocket client and server for Node.js. All versions from 1.1.0 up to (but not including) 5.2.5, from 6.0.0 up to 6.2.4, from 7.0.0 up to 7.5.11, and from 8.0.0 up to 8.21.0 are affected by a memory exhaustion DoS vulnerability. A peer can send a high volume of exceptionally small fragments and data chunks, with modest network traffic, to force the remote peer into allocating and holding structural wrappers that consume far more memory than the default documented message-size limit, leading to process termination due to OOM. This issue has been fixed in versions 5.2.5, 6.2.4, 7.5.11, and 8.21.0.
Why it matters now
Exploitation Proof of concept CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.01426 73rd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by NVD
Fix Partial ws (websockets): 5.2.5, 6.2.4, 7.5.11 +1ws (npm): 5.2.5, 6.2.4, 7.5.11 +1Red Hat: 27 advisoriesRed Hat: 23 fixed, 16 without a fix
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| websockets | ws | 1.1.0 to before 5.2.5; 6.0.0 to before 6.2.4; 7.0.0 to before 7.5.11; 8.0.0 to before 8.21.0 | 5.2.5, 6.2.4, 7.5.11, 8.21.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | ws (npm) | 1.1.0 to before 5.2.5 | 5.2.5 | Patch available | GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p |
| — | ws (npm) | 6.0.0 to before 6.2.4 | 6.2.4 | Patch available | GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p |
| — | ws (npm) | 7.0.0 to before 7.5.11 | 7.5.11 | Patch available | GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p |
| — | ws (npm) | 8.0.0 to before 8.21.0 | 8.21.0 | Patch available | GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p |
- ws Vendorwebsockets Affected 1.1.0 to before 5.2.5; 6.0.0 to before 6.2.4; 7.0.0 to before 7.5.11; 8.0.0 to before 8.21.0 Fixed in 5.2.5, 6.2.4, 7.5.11, 8.21.0 Patch available CNA
- ws (npm) Vendor— Affected 1.1.0 to before 5.2.5 Fixed in 5.2.5 Patch available GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p
- ws (npm) Vendor— Affected 6.0.0 to before 6.2.4 Fixed in 6.2.4 Patch available GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p
- ws (npm) Vendor— Affected 7.0.0 to before 7.5.11 Fixed in 7.5.11 Patch available GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p
- ws (npm) Vendor— Affected 8.0.0 to before 8.21.0 Fixed in 8.21.0 Patch available GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:ws_project:ws:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* | 1.1.0 to before 5.2.5; 6.0.0 to before 6.2.4; 7.0.0 to before 7.5.11; 8.0.0 to before 8.21.0 | Vulnerable | websockets |
- cpe:2.3:a:ws_project:ws:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* Versions 1.1.0 to before 5.2.5; 6.0.0 to before 6.2.4; 7.0.0 to before 7.5.11; 8.0.0 to before 8.21.0 Vulnerable ·websockets
Remediation
- Fix · CNA ws (websockets) Fixed in 5.2.5, 6.2.4, 7.5.11, 8.21.0
- Fix · GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p ws (npm) Fixed in 5.2.5 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p ws (npm) Fixed in 6.2.4 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p ws (npm) Fixed in 7.5.11 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p ws (npm) Fixed in 8.21.0 Advisory →
Red Hat 27 advisories
- RHSA-2026:84734 Released 2026-10-19 · Red Hat rating CriticalRHOAI 3.4.5 - Red Hat OpenShift AI
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4 registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-ai-gateway-payload-processing-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-automl-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-autorag-rhel9 +47
- RHSA-2026:73987 Released 2026-09-30 · Red Hat rating CriticalRHOAI 3.3.7 - Red Hat OpenShift AI
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.3 registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-built-in-detector-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-dashboard-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-data-science-pipelines-argo-argoexec-rhel9 +47
- RHSA-2026:70829 Released 2026-09-23 · Red Hat rating ImportantRHTAS 1.3.8 - Red Hat Trusted Artifact Signer Release
- Red Hat Trusted Artifact Signer 1.3 registry.redhat.io/rhtas/certificate-transparency-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhtas/fulcio-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhtas/rekor-backfill-redis-rhel9 +6
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- RHSA-2026:65126 Released 2026-09-08 · Red Hat rating ImportantRHOAI 2.25.11 - Red Hat OpenShift AI
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- RHSA-2026:60520 Released 2026-08-27 · Red Hat rating CriticalRHOAI 3.4.4 - Red Hat OpenShift AI
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- RHSA-2026:57590 Released 2026-08-20 · Red Hat rating Importantrh-podman-desktop security, bug fix, and enhancement update
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- RHSA-2026:57013 Released 2026-08-19 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat OpenShift Data Foundation 4.20.17 security, enhancement & bug fix update
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- RHSA-2026:56431 Released 2026-08-18 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat OpenShift Data Foundation 4.18.27 security, enhancement & bug fix update
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- RHSA-2026:56366 Released 2026-08-18 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat OpenShift Data Foundation 4.19.22 security, enhancement & bug fix update
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- RHSA-2026:48151 Released 2026-07-29 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat build of Cryostat security update
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- RHSA-2026:41944 Released 2026-07-20 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat OpenShift Data Foundation 4.19.20 security, enhancement & bug fix update
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- Red Hat Developer Hub 1.10 registry.redhat.io/rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhdh/rhdh-rhel9-operator
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Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Node HealthCheck Operator | Affected | No fix yet |
| OpenShift Lightspeed | Affected | No fix yet |
| OpenShift Pipelines | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Build of Podman Desktop | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Build of Podman Desktop - Tech Preview | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Connectivity Link 1 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI (RHEL AI) 3 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Fuse 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Quay 3 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Satellite 6 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat build of Apache Camel - HawtIO 4 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Self-service automation portal 2 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Cluster Observability Operator 1.5 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:34342 |
| Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:48151 |
| Red Hat AMQ Broker 7.13.6 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:66545 |
| Red Hat AMQ Broker 7.14.1 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:66488 |
| Red Hat Developer Hub 1.10 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36754 |
| Red Hat Developer Hub 1.9 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:33574 |
| Red Hat Discovery 2 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:29197 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Extensions Channel (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:57590 |
| Red Hat Migration Toolkit 1.8 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:41928 |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:65126 |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.3 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:73987 |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:60520, RHSA-2026:84734 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces 3.29 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36820 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Service Mesh 2.6 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:33155 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Service Mesh 3.0 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:33160 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Service Mesh 3.1 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:33163 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Service Mesh 3.2 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:33173 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Service Mesh 3.3 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:33183 |
| Red Hat Openshift Data Foundation 4.18 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:41941, RHSA-2026:56431 |
| Red Hat Openshift Data Foundation 4.19 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:41944, RHSA-2026:56366 |
| Red Hat Openshift Data Foundation 4.20 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:40984, RHSA-2026:57013 |
| Red Hat Trusted Artifact Signer 1.3 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70829 |
| Red Hat Trusted Artifact Signer 1.4 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:37272 |
Not affected: 33 products
- Cluster Observability Operator 1.5
- Cryostat 4
- Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9
- Gatekeeper 3
- OpenShift Service Mesh 3
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2
- Red Hat Build of Keycloak
- Red Hat Data Grid 8
- Red Hat Developer Hub 1.10
- Red Hat Developer Hub 1.9
- Red Hat Discovery 2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat Hardened Images
- Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 8
- Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform Expansion Pack
- Red Hat Migration Toolkit 1.8
- Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI)
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.3
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
- Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces 3.29
- Red Hat OpenShift Service Mesh 3.3
- Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4
- Red Hat Openshift Data Foundation 4.18
- Red Hat Openshift Data Foundation 4.19
- Red Hat Openshift Data Foundation 4.20
- Red Hat Trusted Artifact Signer 1.3
- Red Hat Trusted Artifact Signer 1.4
- Red Hat build of Apache Camel for Spring Boot 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-48779
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p
- 2026-10-07 Fix available: RHSA-2026:73987 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-20 Fix available: RHSA-2026:84734 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-20 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-05 Fix available: Cluster Observability Operator 1.5 · Red Hat
References
Patch 4
- https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/86d3e8a5fb0246ed373860c5fbb0de88824a27f7
- https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/b5372ac67bb97a773727b8e9f5035a8123556d53
- https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/bca91adf15677e47dbe4f959653452727be28b94
- https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/fd36cd864fcdf62a08273a99e19a7d975401fee8
Other 17
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-48779.json
- https://github.com/websockets/ws
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2489661
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-48779
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:37272
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36820
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36754
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34342
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33574
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33183
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33173
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33163
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33160
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33155
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29197
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27171
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26638
More websockets Ws vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-33473 ws: Uninitialized memory disclosure CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2016-08584 Uncontrolled resource consumption in HackerOne ws node module CVSS 3.0HIGH 7.5
- TI-2016-08560 Memory corruption in HackerOne ws node module CVSS 3.0HIGH 7.5
- TI-2021-12308 ReDoS in Sec-Websocket-Protocol header CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.3
Sources
- CVE-2026-48779 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-48779 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-48779 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences