CVE-2026-44250 netty CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders responsible for Netty deployments should assess exposure and prioritize patching to prevent potential DoS attacks. This includes users of Netty's netty-codec-redis component, particularly those who handle Redis payloads. Defenders should review and update affected Red Hat errata and verify affected versions and apply patches to prevent potential attacks.

Why it matters

CVE-2026-44250 is a high-severity vulnerability in Netty that can lead to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Defenders should prioritize patching vulnerable versions to prevent potential service disruptions.

• Memory exhaustion and potential OutOfMemoryError due to deeply nested arrays in Redis payloads
• Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks can cause service disruption
• Patching vulnerable versions can prevent exploitation
• Verify affected versions and apply patches to prevent potential attacks

Technical summary

The netty-codec-redis component in Netty is vulnerable to a DoS attack due to improper handling of deeply nested arrays in Redis payloads. This can lead to memory exhaustion and an OutOfMemoryError. The issue is addressed in Netty versions 4.1.135.Final and 4.2.15.Final. Users should verify their affected versions and apply patches to prevent potential attacks. The vulnerability affects users of Netty's netty-codec-redis component, particularly those who handle Redis payloads. Defenders should assess their exposure and prioritize patching.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize patching vulnerable Netty versions to prevent potential DoS attacks.

Recommended defensive actions

• Patch Netty to version 4.1.135.Final or later
• Patch Netty to version 4.2.15.Final or later
• Review and update affected Red Hat errata (RHSA-2026:37390, RHSA-2026:41951, RHSA-2026:50085, RHSA-2026:53644, RHSA-2026:53806)
• Verify affected versions and apply patches to prevent potential attacks
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD entry provide details on the vulnerability, including its description, CVSS score, and affected versions. The Netty project has released patches for this issue in versions 4.1.135.Final and 4.2.15.Final. Users should verify their affected versions and apply patches to prevent potential attacks. The vulnerability is caused by improper handling of deeply nested arrays in Redis payloads, which can lead to memory exhaustion.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.