Read the docs

Starman for Perl lets stalled request bodies exhaust all workers

Priority LOW 39CWE-770Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Impact type
Denial of service
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
High · None · None
Fix status
Fixed

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-770.

Summary

Starman versions before 0.4019 for Perl read request bodies with blocking reads and no deadline, because read_timeout covers only the headers (CWE-770). A remote attacker who sends complete headers and then stalls or trickles the body keeps a worker waiting until the client disconnects. A few such connections can occupy every worker, five with the default worker count, so the server stops answering requests.

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-02

Description from the CNA

Starman versions before 0.4019 for Perl allow a stalled request body to hold a worker indefinitely, as read_timeout covers only the headers. Content-Length and chunked request bodies are read with blocking reads and no deadline. A client that sends complete headers and then stalls or trickles the body keeps the worker waiting until it disconnects. A remote attacker can take every worker with a few such connections, five with the default worker count, so the server stops answering requests. Version 0.4019 applies read_timeout to each wait for body data and adds a body_timeout limit, 300 seconds by default, on the total time to read a body.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00514 44th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Fixed Starman: 0.4019

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation
None
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

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
—Starmanbefore 0.40190.4019Patch availableCNA
  • Starman Vendor— Affected before 0.4019 Fixed in 0.4019 Patch available CNA

Remediation

Upgrade Starman to version 0.4019, which applies read_timeout to each wait for body data and adds body_timeout, 300 seconds by default, on the total time to read a body.

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-02

  • Fix · CNA Starman Fixed in 0.4019

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat's page for this CVE →

Not affected: 1 product
  • Red Hat

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-25 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-115817
  2. 2026-10-27 Alias added: GHSA-xcqf-6xfj-3q3x
  3. 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
  4. 2026-10-29 CVSS score added · Red Hat
  5. 2026-11-02 CVSS score added · CISA ADP
  6. 2026-11-02 CISA SSVC decision points changed

References

Sources