netty-incubator-codec-ohttp's HPKEContext operations may produce empty byte[] on failuresGHSA-f659-372h-6x3x
Fix: netty/netty-incubator-codec-ohttp@3d3b4e5GHSA-f659-372h-6x3x is a Insufficient Random Values vulnerability in io.netty.incubator:netty-incubator-codec-ohttp. A fix is available for io.netty.incubator:netty-incubator-codec-ohttp — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-f659-372h-6x3x.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
Real-World Exposure
io.netty.incubator:netty-incubator-codec-ohttpReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
The netty incubator codec.bhttp is a java language binary http parser. Prior to version 0.0.21.Final, HKDF_expand returns non-NULL on failure. The byte[] is filled with zeros and has no way to distinguish success from failure. Since this output is used as HKDF key material for the response AEAD, a failure silently produces an all-zero key. When EVP_HPKE_CTX_export fails it also returns an empty byte[] array filled with zeros. This byte[] feeds directly into OHttpCrypto.createResponseAEAD(...). A silent all-zero export secret would produce a deterministic, attacker-predictable AEAD key. Version 0.0.21.Final patches the issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | io.netty.incubator:netty-incubator-codec-ohttp | all versions | 0.0.21.Finalio.netty.incubator:netty-incubator-codec-ohttp:0.0.21.Final |
Affected Products
netty-incubator-codec-ohttpnettyDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for io.netty.incubator:netty-incubator-codec-ohttp, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update io.netty.incubator:netty-incubator-codec-ohttp to 0.0.21.Final or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-f659-372h-6x3x is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-f659-372h-6x3x in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.