CVE-2026-5438
Gzip Decompression Bomb via Content-Encoding Header
Description
A gzip decompression bomb vulnerability exists when Orthanc processes HTTP request with `Content-Encoding: gzip`. The server does not enforce limits on decompressed size and allocates memory based on attacker-controlled compression metadata. A specially crafted gzip payload can trigger excessive memory allocation and exhaust system memory.
INFO
Published Date :
April 9, 2026, 3:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
April 9, 2026, 3:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-5438
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
Solution
- Apply patches or updates from the vendor.
- Configure decompression limits on HTTP requests.
- Monitor memory usage during decompression.
- Validate all incoming gzip payloads.
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-2026-5438.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://kb.cert.org/vuls/id/536588 | |
| https://www.machinespirits.de/ | |
| https://www.orthanc-server.com/ |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-5438 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-2026-5438
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-2026-5438 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-5438 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]
Apr. 09, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description A gzip decompression bomb vulnerability exists when Orthanc processes HTTP request with `Content-Encoding: gzip`. The server does not enforce limits on decompressed size and allocates memory based on attacker-controlled compression metadata. A specially crafted gzip payload can trigger excessive memory allocation and exhaust system memory. Added Reference https://kb.cert.org/vuls/id/536588 Added Reference https://www.machinespirits.de/ Added Reference https://www.orthanc-server.com/