{"id":"CVE-2026-54451","title":"Elixir protobuf is a pure Elixir implementation of Google Protobuf","summary":"Elixir protobuf is a pure Elixir implementation of Google Protobuf. From 0.8.0 until 0.16.1, services that decode attacker-controlled protobuf bytes with Protobuf.Decoder can be taken offline when the schema contains a self-referential o…","severity":"high","cvss":8.2,"cvssVector":"CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N","cwe":["CWE-674","CWE-770"],"vendor":"elixir-protobuf","product":"protobuf","affected":["protobuf >= 0.8.0, < 0.16.1"],"patched":["protobuf 0.16.1"],"published":"2026-09-17","updated":"2026-09-21","sourceUpdated":"2026-09-21T21:17:04.303","source":"NVD","sourceUrl":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-54451","references":[{"url":"https://github.com/elixir-protobuf/protobuf/commit/352d1769a0ef575a8d18c3f9620609efdb73e2bc","label":"security-advisories@github.com"},{"url":"https://github.com/elixir-protobuf/protobuf/commit/b8efa97790eece3d2d0e8e7c31a45ed409fe5338","label":"security-advisories@github.com"},{"url":"https://github.com/elixir-protobuf/protobuf/releases/tag/v0.16.1","label":"security-advisories@github.com"},{"url":"https://github.com/elixir-protobuf/protobuf/security/advisories/GHSA-rv48-qqj5-crxg","label":"security-advisories@github.com"},{"url":"https://github.com/elixir-protobuf/protobuf/security/advisories/GHSA-rv48-qqj5-crxg","label":"134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0"},{"url":"https://github.com/elixir-protobuf/protobuf/commit/21ec7c5bec4fec74e10c1de0d5d1a2d8152ac5d4"},{"url":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rv48-qqj5-crxg"},{"url":"https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-54451.json"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-54451"},{"url":"https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2536605"},{"url":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-54451"},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-54451"}],"tags":["nvd","cve.org","exploit-available","ghsa","erlang","csaf","vex","red-hat"],"exploitAvailable":true,"ssvc":{"exploitation":"poc","automatable":"yes","technicalImpact":"partial","timestamp":"2026-09-21T21:03:29.889055Z"},"cvssSource":"cna","epss":0.00301,"epssPercentile":0.23041,"aliases":["GHSA-rv48-qqj5-crxg"],"ecosystem":"erlang","scores":{"cna":8.2,"vendor":7.5},"ingestedAt":"2026-07-15T18:45:16.982Z","slug":"CVE-2026-54451","body":"## Overview\n\nElixir protobuf is a pure Elixir implementation of Google Protobuf. From 0.8.0 until 0.16.1, services that decode attacker-controlled protobuf bytes with Protobuf.Decoder can be taken offline when the schema contains a self-referential or cyclic message type. In lib/protobuf/decoder.ex, Protobuf.Decoder.value_for_field/3 handles an embedded?: true field by recursively entering the decode / build_message / handle_value / value_for_field call chain without enforcing a nesting-depth limit. Deeply nested embedded fields retain non-tail recursive frames, allowing a comparatively small request to consume substantial CPU and memory, pin a BEAM scheduler, and exhaust the node. This issue is fixed in version 0.16.1.\n\n## Remediation\n\nRefer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.\n\n## Package advisory (CVE-2026-54451)\n\nAffected packages:\n\n- `protobuf >= 0.8.0, < 0.16.1`\n\nPatched in:\n\n- `protobuf 0.16.1`\n\nSource: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rv48-qqj5-crxg\n\n## Vendor advisories\n\n- **Red Hat VEX** · Important · affected: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · updated 2026-09-19 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-54451.json)","depth":"midnight","depthScore":57,"depthScoreParts":{"impact":45.1,"likelihood":0.1,"exploitation":12,"ransomware":0},"changes":[{"seq":208810,"id":"CVE-2026-54451","ts":1790027671284,"field":"exploit_available","old":"false","new":"true"},{"seq":206512,"id":"CVE-2026-54451","ts":1789673249621,"field":"cvss","old":null,"new":"8.2"}]}