7.5
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-21452
MessagePack-Java Vulnerable to Remote Denial of Service via Malicious .msgpack Model File Triggering Unbounded EXT Payload Allocation
Description

MessagePack for Java is a serializer implementation for Java. A denial-of-service vulnerability exists in versions prior to 0.9.11 when deserializing .msgpack files containing EXT32 objects with attacker-controlled payload lengths. While MessagePack-Java parses extension headers lazily, it later trusts the declared EXT payload length when materializing the extension data. When ExtensionValue.getData() is invoked, the library attempts to allocate a byte array of the declared length without enforcing any upper bound. A malicious .msgpack file of only a few bytes can therefore trigger unbounded heap allocation, resulting in JVM heap exhaustion, process termination, or service unavailability. This vulnerability is triggered during model loading / deserialization, making it a model format vulnerability suitable for remote exploitation. The vulnerability enables a remote denial-of-service attack against applications that deserialize untrusted .msgpack model files using MessagePack for Java. A specially crafted but syntactically valid .msgpack file containing an EXT32 object with an attacker-controlled, excessively large payload length can trigger unbounded memory allocation during deserialization. When the model file is loaded, the library trusts the declared length metadata and attempts to allocate a byte array of that size, leading to rapid heap exhaustion, excessive garbage collection, or immediate JVM termination with an OutOfMemoryError. The attack requires no malformed bytes, user interaction, or elevated privileges and can be exploited remotely in real-world environments such as model registries, inference services, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud-based model hosting platforms that accept or fetch .msgpack artifacts. Because the malicious file is extremely small yet valid, it can bypass basic validation and scanning mechanisms, resulting in complete service unavailability and potential cascading failures in production systems. Version 0.9.11 fixes the vulnerability.

INFO

Published Date :

Jan. 2, 2026, 9:16 p.m.

Last Modified :

Jan. 2, 2026, 9:16 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-21452 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

No affected product recoded yet

CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Update MessagePack for Java to version 0.9.11 or later to fix heap exhaustion vulnerability.
  • Update MessagePack for Java to version 0.9.11.
  • Validate untrusted .msgpack files before deserialization.
  • Enforce size limits on EXT payload lengths.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2026-21452.

URL Resource
https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-java/commit/daa2ea6b2f11f500e22c70a22f689f7a9debdeae
https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-java/releases/tag/v0.9.11
https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-java/security/advisories/GHSA-cw39-r4h6-8j3x
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-21452 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-21452 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-21452 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-21452 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Jan. 02, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description MessagePack for Java is a serializer implementation for Java. A denial-of-service vulnerability exists in versions prior to 0.9.11 when deserializing .msgpack files containing EXT32 objects with attacker-controlled payload lengths. While MessagePack-Java parses extension headers lazily, it later trusts the declared EXT payload length when materializing the extension data. When ExtensionValue.getData() is invoked, the library attempts to allocate a byte array of the declared length without enforcing any upper bound. A malicious .msgpack file of only a few bytes can therefore trigger unbounded heap allocation, resulting in JVM heap exhaustion, process termination, or service unavailability. This vulnerability is triggered during model loading / deserialization, making it a model format vulnerability suitable for remote exploitation. The vulnerability enables a remote denial-of-service attack against applications that deserialize untrusted .msgpack model files using MessagePack for Java. A specially crafted but syntactically valid .msgpack file containing an EXT32 object with an attacker-controlled, excessively large payload length can trigger unbounded memory allocation during deserialization. When the model file is loaded, the library trusts the declared length metadata and attempts to allocate a byte array of that size, leading to rapid heap exhaustion, excessive garbage collection, or immediate JVM termination with an OutOfMemoryError. The attack requires no malformed bytes, user interaction, or elevated privileges and can be exploited remotely in real-world environments such as model registries, inference services, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud-based model hosting platforms that accept or fetch .msgpack artifacts. Because the malicious file is extremely small yet valid, it can bypass basic validation and scanning mechanisms, resulting in complete service unavailability and potential cascading failures in production systems. Version 0.9.11 fixes the vulnerability.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-400
    Added CWE CWE-789
    Added Reference https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-java/commit/daa2ea6b2f11f500e22c70a22f689f7a9debdeae
    Added Reference https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-java/releases/tag/v0.9.11
    Added Reference https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-java/security/advisories/GHSA-cw39-r4h6-8j3x
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 7.5
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact