vulntracker.iovulntracker.io
© 2026 vulntracker.io

CVE-2026-73508

Netty: Memory Leak in DNS Record Decoder via Malformed Domain Names

HIGH
7.5
CVSS Score
Published: August 13, 2026 at 02:27 PM UTC
Updated: September 23, 2026 at 03:58 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorNetty

Using netty by netty?

Get instant alerts when new vulnerabilities affect netty - before attackers find them.

Real-time alertsTrack your software stackFree plan available
Start FreeSign In
Severity
HIGH7.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.6%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

Netty is an asynchronous, event-driven network application framework. Prior to 4.1.136.Final and 4.2.16.Final, io.netty.handler.codec.dns.AbstractDnsRecord, io.netty.handler.codec.dns.DefaultDnsRecordDecoder.decodeRecord(), and io.netty.handler.codec.dns.DnsCodecUtil.decompressDomainName() failed to release retained or newly allocated ByteBuf objects when IDN.toASCII() or encodeDomainName() rejected a malformed domain name, allowing unauthenticated remote DNS packets to leak direct memory incrementally until denial of service. This issue is fixed in versions 4.1.136.Final and 4.2.16.Final.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

Netty· Nettymaven
95%
v < 4.1.136v < 4.1.136.Finalv < 4.2.16.Final4.2.0 ≤ v < 4.2.16
Affected range stops below 4.1.136, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
Affected range stops below 4.1.136.Final, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
Affected range stops below 4.2.16, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
Affected range stops below 4.2.16.Final, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

References (5)

x_refsource_CONFIRMVendor Advisory
Source: cverecord
https://github.com/netty/netty/security/advisories/GHSA-mfg7-5gfp-c4w3
x_refsource_MISCPatch
Source: cverecord
https://github.com/netty/netty/commit/5b68c61f37aa4a3045cba624cbea239655c9003b
x_refsource_MISCPatch
Source: cverecord
https://github.com/netty/netty/commit/bb2ff68a1fb71cb4b0eb9a9e17b66c52aff680c6
x_refsource_MISCRelease Notes
Source: cverecord
https://github.com/netty/netty/releases/tag/netty-4.1.136.Final
x_refsource_MISCRelease Notes
Source: cverecord
https://github.com/netty/netty/releases/tag/netty-4.2.16.Final

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitAutomatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

7.5HIGH[email protected]
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
NONE
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
CWE-772

Get alerted

Stop reading CVE feeds looking for your own stack

Track the products you run and VulnTracker tells you when a new CVE affects them — with what is known about fixing it, and nothing about the rest.

Create accountSign in
Free plan, no card