GHSA-jppx-w49h-x2qq
Fix: netty/netty@5b68c61GHSA-jppx-w49h-x2qq is a Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerability in io.netty:netty-codec-http. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-jppx-w49h-x2qq is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Netty: [SpdyHttpDecoder] ByteBuf Reference Leak on RST_STREAM Leads to Native Memory Exhaustion
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
io.netty:netty-codec-http☕io.netty:netty-codec-httpReal-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 SpdyHttpDecoder handler in Netty's SPDY-to-HTTP codec allocates a pooled ByteBuf when processing a client-initiated SYN_STREAM frame with FLAG_FIN=0, storing the partially-constructed FullHttpRequest in an internal map (messageMap) to accumulate subsequent DATA frames. When the remote peer sends an RST_STREAM for that stream, or when the accumulated content exceeds maxContentLength, the decoder removes the entry from the map but never releases the pooled ByteBuf, permanently leaking the allocated memory.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | io.netty:netty-codec-http | ≥ 4.2.0.Final&&< 4.2.16.Final | 4.2.16.Final |
| ☕Maven | io.netty:netty-codec-http | ≥ 4.1.0.Final&&< 4.1.136.Final | 4.1.136.Final |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for io.netty:netty-codec-http. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update io.netty:netty-codec-http to 4.2.16.Final or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-jppx-w49h-x2qq 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-jppx-w49h-x2qq is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-jppx-w49h-x2qq. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
This is an Important denial of service vulnerability in Netty's SPDY-to-HTTP codec, affecting Red Hat products that utilize vulnerable versions of Netty. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can exploit a memory leak in the `SpdyHttpDecoder` by sending specially crafted `SYN_STREAM` frames, leading to native memory…
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-jppx-w49h-x2qq in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-jppx-w49h-x2qq across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.