netty: Improper Neutralization of CRLF Sequences in HTTP Headers
CVE-2026-42578 is a high-severity improper neutralization of CRLF sequences in HTTP headers vulnerability in netty, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected netty versions: >= 4.2.0.Alpha1, < 4.2.13.Final; < 4.1.133.Final. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 1.06% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 65% of scored CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of netty you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE; 10 further products are omitted here. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- NoneNo data is disclosed.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 2.9 | Low | CNA (github.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | NVD |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | CNA |
Official description
Netty is an asynchronous, event-driven network application framework. Prior to 4.2.13.Final and 4.1.133.Final, Netty's HttpProxyHandler constructs HTTP CONNECT requests with header validation explicitly disabled. The newInitialMessage() method creates headers using DefaultHttpHeadersFactory.headersFactory().withValidation(false), then adds user-provided outboundHeaders without any CRLF validation. This allows an attacker who can influence the outbound headers to inject arbitrary HTTP headers into the CONNECT request sent to the proxy server. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.13.Final and 4.1.133.Final.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Neutralization of CRLF Sequences in HTTP Headers
The product receives data from an HTTP agent/component (e.g., web server, proxy, browser, etc.), but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes CR and LF characters before the data is included in outgoing HTTP headers.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Construct HTTP headers very carefully, avoiding the use of non-validated input data.
- Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
More Improper Neutralization of CRLF Sequences in HTTP Headers vulnerabilities (CWE-113)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
- github.com/netty/netty/security/advisories/GHSA-45q3-82m4-75jrExploit, Mitigation
Other references
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:23808
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:24502
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25123
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28010
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36820
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:37390
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:42644
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:49700
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:49701
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:53644
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:53645
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:53646
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:54435
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:65126
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:66488
Other vulnerabilities in netty
- 7.3 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Improper Neutralization of CRLF Sequences in HTTP Headers vulnerabilities
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.7 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
- 8.9 High severity
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