GHSA-xpw8-rcwv-8f8p is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) vulnerability in io.netty:netty-codec-http2. A fix is available for io.netty:netty-codec-http2 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
io.netty:netty-codec-http2 vulnerable to HTTP/2 Rapid Reset Attack
Real-World Exposure
io.netty:netty-codec-http2Real-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
A client might overload the server by issue frequent RST frames. This can cause a massive amount of load on the remote system and so cause a DDOS attack.
Impact
This is a DDOS attack, any http2 server is affected and so you should update as soon as possible.
Patches
This is patched in version 4.1.100.Final.
Workarounds
A user can limit the amount of RST frames that are accepted per connection over a timeframe manually using either an own Http2FrameListener implementation or an ChannelInboundHandler implementation (depending which http2 API is used).
References
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | io.netty:netty-codec-http2 | all versions | 4.1.100.Finalio.netty:netty-codec-http2:4.1.100.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-http2, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update io.netty:netty-codec-http2 to 4.1.100.Final or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xpw8-rcwv-8f8p 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-xpw8-rcwv-8f8p can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-xpw8-rcwv-8f8p. 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-xpw8-rcwv-8f8p in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-xpw8-rcwv-8f8p across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.