GHSA-vc29-vg52-6643
HIGHDoS Vulnerability in TraceContextPropagator.Extract - OpenTelemetry.Api
Blast Radius
OpenTelemetry.AutoInstrumentationReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects NuGet packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
What kind of vulnerability is it? Who is impacted?
A vulnerability in OpenTelemetry.Api package 1.10.0 to 1.11.1 could cause a Denial of Service (DoS) when a tracestate and traceparent header is received. These versions are used in OpenTelemetry .NET Automatic Instrumentation 1.10.0-beta.1 and 1.10.0.
Even if an application does not explicitly use trace context propagation, receiving these headers can still trigger high CPU usage. This issue impacts any application accessible over the web or backend services that process HTTP requests containing a tracestate header. Application may experience excessive resource consumption, leading to increased latency, degraded performance, or downtime.
Patches
Has the problem been patched? What versions should users upgrade to?
This issue has been resolved in OpenTelemetry.Api 1.11.2 by reverting the change that introduced the problematic behavior in versions 1.10.0 to 1.11.1. OpenTelemetry .NET Automatic Instrumentation fixes it in 1.11.0 release.
Fixed version
| OpenTelemetry .NET Automatic Instrumentation | Status |
|---|---|
| <= 1.9.0 | ✅ Not affected |
| 1.10.0-beta.1, 1.10.0 | ❌ Vulnerable |
| 1.11.0 (Fixed) | ✅ Safe to use |
Workarounds
Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?
References
Are there any links users can visit to find out more?
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| .NETNuGet | OpenTelemetry.AutoInstrumentation | ≥ 1.10.0-beta.1&&< 1.11.0 | 1.11.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for OpenTelemetry.AutoInstrumentation. 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 OpenTelemetry.AutoInstrumentation to 1.11.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-vc29-vg52-6643 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-vc29-vg52-6643 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-vc29-vg52-6643. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-vc29-vg52-6643 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-vc29-vg52-6643 across NuGet dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.