ws: Memory exhaustion DoS from tiny fragments and data chunks (CVE-2026-48779)
Published Last modified Sources: Red Hat, BSI, CVE.org, Msrc Update Guide, OSV
What is affected, what to do
A flaw was found in ws, an open source WebSocket client and server. A remote attacker can exploit this memory exhaustion vulnerability by sending a high volume of exceptionally small fragments and data chunks.
An exploit is publicly available. Update ws to version 8.21.0.
- Affected
- Websockets Ws
gte 1.1.0, < 5.2.5..*
- Websockets Ws
Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability
Metrics
7.5
Priority
XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: NVD, CVSS v3
7.5
CVSS v3
Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: Red Hat, BSI, CVE.org, Msrc Update Guide, OSV
1.4 %
EPSS score
Moderate — model estimates 1-10% exploitation likelihood.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 72.9
Show all metrics
- Severity
- High
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 99.03 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- PoC (publicly reported)
XIEM Effective CVSS
XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.
Read in glossary- 7.5 Methodology
CVSS v3
CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.
Read in glossary- 7.5
EPSS score
The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.
Read in glossary- 1.4 %
- Moderate — model estimates 1-10% exploitation likelihood.
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 72.9
- High — this CVE ranks above the median of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 36%).
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
- CISA assessment (SSVC)
- Exploitation: proof of concept · automatable · Technical impact: partial
- Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 17 June 2026
CWE
CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.
Read in glossary- CWE-400, CWE-770, CWE-1050
Detection rules
No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- High technical severity: assess and remediate the vulnerability in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2 and document the decision.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
A flaw was found in ws, an open source WebSocket client and server. A remote attacker can exploit this memory exhaustion vulnerability by sending a high volume of exceptionally small fragments and data chunks. This action forces the affected component to allocate and hold structural wrappers that consume excessive memory. Consequently, this leads to process termination and a denial of service (DoS) for the remote peer.
Source: redhat_csaf, BSI WID Portal, BSI CSAF, cvelistv5, Microsoft Security Update Guide, NVD (NIST), OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities), CVE.org (MITRE)
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Affected versions | Fixed in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| websockets | ws |
|
|
| ws_project | ws |
|
|
| npm | ws |
|
|
Vendors and products
Weakness classes (CWE)
CWE-400Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Class
The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.
Entry at MITRE CWE-400CWE-770Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
Base
The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.
Entry at MITRE CWE-770CWE-1050Excessive Platform Resource Consumption within a Loop
Base
The product has a loop body or loop condition that contains a control element that directly or indirectly consumes platform resources, e.g. messaging, sessions, locks, or file descriptors.
Entry at MITRE CWE-1050
Public exploit references
Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.
| Reference tagged as exploit | github.com (opens in a new tab) | PoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified | — |
References & sources
- github.comwebsockets/ws/security/advisories/GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4pweb, x_refsource_CONFIRM, Exploit, Mitigation, Patch, Vendor advisory
- NVD (NIST)vuln/detail/CVE-2026-48779advisory
- github.comwebsockets/ws/commit/fd36cd864fcdf62a08273a99e19a7d975401fee8web, x_refsource_MISC, Patch
- github.comwebsockets/ws/commit/bca91adf15677e47dbe4f959653452727be28b94web, x_refsource_MISC, Patch
- github.comwebsockets/ws/commit/b5372ac67bb97a773727b8e9f5035a8123556d53web, x_refsource_MISC, Patch
- github.comwebsockets/ws/commit/86d3e8a5fb0246ed373860c5fbb0de88824a27f7web, x_refsource_MISC, Patch
- security.access.redhat.comdata/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-48779.jsonweb, x_sadp-csaf-vex
- github.comwebsockets/wspackage
- bugzilla.redhat.comRHBZ#2489661web, Issue tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comsecurity/cve/CVE-2026-48779web, Vulnerability database, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:37272web, Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:36820web, Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:36754web, Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:34342web, Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:33574web, Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:33183web, Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:33173web, Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:33163web, Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:33160web, Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:33155web, Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
Changes to this CVE
Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
Show 3 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/48xxx/CVE-2026-48779.json">CVE-2026-48779</a>Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:66488Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:66545Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/48xxx/CVE-2026-48779.json">CVE-2026-48779</a>Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
New references:Show 2 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/48xxx/CVE-2026-48779.json">CVE-2026-48779</a>Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:65126Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/48xxx/CVE-2026-48779.json">CVE-2026-48779</a>Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/48xxx/CVE-2026-48779.json">CVE-2026-48779</a>Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Show 14 older changes
Record modifiedGitHub
New references:- https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/86d3e8a5fb0246ed373860c5fbb0de88824a27f7
- https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/b5372ac67bb97a773727b8e9f5035a8123556d53
- https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/bca91adf15677e47dbe4f959653452727be28b94
- https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/fd36cd864fcdf62a08273a99e19a7d975401fee8
and 1 more reference
Show 15 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/86d3e8a5fb0246ed373860c5fbb0de88824a27f7Reference added —https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/b5372ac67bb97a773727b8e9f5035a8123556d53Reference added —https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/bca91adf15677e47dbe4f959653452727be28b94Reference added —https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/fd36cd864fcdf62a08273a99e19a7d975401fee8Reference added —https://github.com/websockets/ws/security/advisories/GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4pReference removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/86d3e8a5fb0246ed373860c5fbb0de88824a27f7—Reference removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/b5372ac67bb97a773727b8e9f5035a8123556d53—Reference removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/bca91adf15677e47dbe4f959653452727be28b94—Reference removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/fd36cd864fcdf62a08273a99e19a7d975401fee8—Reference removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/security/advisories/GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p—Reference type removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/86d3e8a5fb0246ed373860c5fbb0de88824a27f7 Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/b5372ac67bb97a773727b8e9f5035a8123556d53 Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/bca91adf15677e47dbe4f959653452727be28b94 Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/commit/fd36cd864fcdf62a08273a99e19a7d975401fee8 Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/security/advisories/GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p Types: Exploit, Mitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory—Source identifier: security-advisories@github.com
Record modifiedCISA ADP
Show 3 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://github.com/websockets/ws/security/advisories/GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4pReference removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/security/advisories/GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p—Reference type removed https://github.com/websockets/ws/security/advisories/GHSA-96hv-2xvq-fx4p Types: Exploit, Mitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory—Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
Show 48 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/48xxx/CVE-2026-48779.json">CVE-2026-48779</a>Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29197Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33155Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33160Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33163Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33173Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33183Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33574Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34342Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36754Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36820Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:37272Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:40984Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41928Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41941Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41944Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:48151Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56366Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56431Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57013Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57590Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:60520Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-48779Reference added —https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2489661Reference added —https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-48779.jsonReference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29197—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33155—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33160—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33163—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33173—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33183—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33574—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34342—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36754—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36820—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:37272—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:40984—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41928—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41941—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41944—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:48151—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56366—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56431—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57013—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57590—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-48779—Reference removed https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2489661—Reference removed https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-48779.json—Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) changed Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+178)Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+178)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
New references:Show 2 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57590Affected versions (publisher) changed Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+178)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
New references:Show 2 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57013Affected versions (publisher) changed Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
Show 3 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56366Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56431Affected versions (publisher) changed Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) changed Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) changed Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) changed Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Cryostat 4 on RHEL 9, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
New references:Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:48151Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
Show 4 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41928Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41941Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41944Affected versions (publisher) changed Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+138)Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+177)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) changed Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+138)Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0 (+138)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
Show 3 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36754Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36820Affected versions (publisher) changed Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Red Hat Developer Hub 1.9, Red Hat Discovery 2 (+38)Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0, Red Hat Developer Hub 1.10, Red Hat Developer Hub 1.9 (+39)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2026-48779"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2026-48779.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2026-48779 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>