Unbounded memory growth in Eclipse Vert.x MQTT client
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-770.
Summary
Eclipse Vert.x from 4.0.0 through 4.5.34, from 5.0.0 through 5.0.12, from 5.1.0 through 5.1.9 and 5.2.0 is affected. The MQTT client keeps every inbound QoS 2 PUBLISH message in an unbounded internal map until the broker sends PUBREL (CWE-770). A malicious or compromised broker can send QoS 2 PUBLISH messages with distinct packet identifiers and withhold PUBREL, causing memory growth until the application degrades or runs out of memory.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28
Description from the CNA
In Eclipse Vert.x versions [4.0.0, 4.5.34] or [5.0.0,5.0.12] or [5.1.0,5.1.9] or [5.2.0, 5.2.0], the Eclipse Vert.x MQTT (vertx-mqtt) MqttClient stores every inbound QoS 2 PUBLISH message received from the broker in an internal map (qos2inbound) while awaiting the corresponding PUBREL packet to complete the QoS 2 handshake. This map has no size limit; the maxInflightQueue option is enforced only on the outbound publish path and does not constrain inbound message retention. A malicious or compromised MQTT broker can exploit this by sending QoS 2 PUBLISH messages with distinct packet identifiers and withholding the PUBREL responses. Each incomplete handshake causes the client to retain the full publish message (topic, payload, and metadata) indefinitely, leading to unbounded memory growth in the Vert.x process. This can degrade the MQTT-consuming application or cause out-of-memory termination. The impacted component is io.vertx:vertx-mqtt.
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
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eclipse Foundation | Eclipse Vert.x | 4.0.0 – 4.5.34; 5.0.0 – 5.0.12; 5.1.0 – 5.1.9; 5.2.0 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- Eclipse Vert.x VendorEclipse Foundation Affected 4.0.0 – 4.5.34; 5.0.0 – 5.0.12; 5.1.0 – 5.1.9; 5.2.0 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:eclipse:vert.x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.5.0 to before 4.5.35; 5.0.0 to before 5.1.10 | Vulnerable | Eclipse Foundation |
| cpe:2.3:a:eclipse:vert.x:5.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.2.0 | Vulnerable | Eclipse Foundation |
- cpe:2.3:a:eclipse:vert.x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.5.0 to before 4.5.35; 5.0.0 to before 5.1.10 Vulnerable ·Eclipse Foundation
- cpe:2.3:a:eclipse:vert.x:5.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.2.0 Vulnerable ·Eclipse Foundation
Remediation
The sources list no fixed version for Eclipse Vert.x.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28
Timeline
- 2026-10-16 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-102464
- 2026-10-21 Alias added: GHSA-g3vx-j9rx-jfm5
- 2026-10-21 CVSS score added · NVD
References
More Eclipse Foundation Vert.x vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-06017 Improper certificate validation in Eclipse Vert.x CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.9
- TI-2025-10971 In Eclipse Vert.x versions [4.0.0, 4.5.21] and [5.0.0, 5.0.4], a StaticHandler… CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.3
- TI-2019-13165 Path traversal in Eclipse Vert.x CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2018-09003 XML external entity injection in Eclipse Vert.x CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2018-09001 Path traversal in Eclipse Vert.x CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2025-10972 Cross-site scripting in Eclipse Foundation Vert.x CVSS 4.0LOW 2.3
Sources
- CVE-2026-102464 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-102464 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-g3vx-j9rx-jfm5 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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