RabbitMQ: Atom-table exhaustion via reply-to queue name decoding
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-400.
Summary
RabbitMQ is a messaging and streaming broker. Prior to versions 4.2.7 and 4.3.1, rabbit_pid_codec:decompose_from_binary/1 parses a caller-supplied ETF-encoded binary and calls binary_to_atom(Node, utf8) on the node-name field. It is reached from rabbit_volatile_queue:pid_from_name/2, which is invoked for any queue name / routing key beginning amq.rabbitmq.reply-to.. The CandidateNodes membership check happens after the atom is created, and the surrounding try/catch cannot reclaim atoms (they are never GC'd). binary_to_existing_atom is not used. Any authenticated AMQP client can crash the entire Erlang VM (all vhosts, all connections) with ~1M cheap requests. Preconditions include Authenticated AMQP 0-9-1 connection to any vhost No per-connection rate limit low enough to make ~1M operations infeasible. This issue is fixed in versions 4.2.7 and 4.3.1.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- 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-server (rabbitmq) Fixed in 4.2.7, 4.3.1
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2026:67552 Released 2026-09-15 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update
- Red Hat Hardened Images rabbitmq-server4.3-4.3.6-1.hum1@aarch64, rabbitmq-server4.3-4.3.6-1.hum1@src, rabbitmq-server4.3-4.3.6-1.hum1@x86_64
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 18.0 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Hardened Images | Fixed | RHSA-2026:67552 |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 13 (Queens)
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 16.2
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 17.1
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-67238
- 2026-10-30 CVSS score added · NVD
References
More rabbitmq vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-41154 Improper authentication in rabbitmq-server CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2026-41149 RabbitMQ: UNC SSRF affecting the management UI on Windows CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2026-41158 Resource allocation without limits in rabbitmq-server CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2026-47695 RabbitMQ: OAuth2 Client Secret Exposed via Unauthenticated JavaScript Endpoint CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.2
- TI-2026-47694 RabbitMQ: JWKS Fetch Ignores HTTP Response Status Code - Signing Key Destruction Causes Authentication DoS CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.2
- TI-2026-45167 RabbitMQ Java client: Unvalidated Class.forName in JSON-RPC ProcedureDescription enables arbitrary class loading CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2026-67238 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-67238 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2026-67238 · 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