HAProxyMessageDecoder Stack Exhaustion DoS
Impact
A StackOverflowError can be raised when parsing a malformed crafted message due to an infinite recursion.
Patches
Users should upgrade to 4.1.86.Final.
Workarounds
There is no workaround, except using a custom HaProxyMessageDecoder.
References
When parsing a TLV with type = PP2_TYPE_SSL, the value can be again a TLV with type = PP2_TYPE_SSL and so on. The only limitation of the recursion is that the TLV length cannot be bigger than 0xffff because it is encoded in an unsigned short type. Providing a TLV with a nesting level that is large enough will lead to raising of a StackOverflowError. The StackOverflowError will be caught if HAProxyMessageDecoder is used as part of Netty’s ChannelPipeline, but using it directly without the ChannelPipeline will lead to a thrown exception / crash.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in netty
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | io.netty:netty-codec-haproxy | < 4.1.86.Final | 4.1.86.Final |
References
- https://github.com/netty/netty/security/advisories/GHSA-fx2c-96vj-985v
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-41881
- https://github.com/netty/netty
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00008.html
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230113-0004
- https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5316
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-674- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
io.netty:netty-codec-haproxy- Disclosed
- 12.12.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-fx2c-96vj-985v - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: io.netty:netty-codec-haproxy
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 5
- First → latest
- 12.2022 07.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 3
- Medium 2
Disclosures per year
- 2022: 1
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 4
-
HAProxyMessageDecoder Stack Exhaustion DoS this entry
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