CVE-2026-8468: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in plug_project plug allows denial of service via unbounded buffer accumulation in ...

Description

Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in plug_project plug allows denial of service via unbounded buffer accumulation in multipart header parsing. 'Elixir.Plug.Conn':read_part_headers/2 in lib/plug/conn.ex does not obey its :length parameter. There is no upper bound on the size of the accumulated buffer. By contrast, the sibling function read_part_body has an explicit byte_size(acc) > length guard that stops accumulation once a limit is reached. No such guard exists in read_part_headers. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exhaust server memory by sending a crafted multipart/form-data request, causing a denial of service. This issue affects plug from 1.4.0 before 1.15.4, 1.16.3, 1.17.1, 1.18.2, and 1.19.2.

Metrics

CVSS 4.0

8.2/10

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/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

EPSS Probability

0.62%

45.2th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-770

References

Timeline

Published: May 14, 2026
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Deferred

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-8468?

Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in plug_project plug allows denial of service via unbounded buffer accumulation in multipart header parsing. 'Elixir.Plug.Conn':read_part_headers/2 in lib/plug/conn.ex does not obey its :length parameter. There is no upper bound on the size of the accumulated buffer. By contrast, the sibling function read_part_body has an explicit byte_size(acc) > length guard that stops accumulation once a limit is reached. No such guard exists in read_part_headers. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exhaust server memory by sending a crafted multipart/form-data request, causing a denial of service. This issue affects plug from 1.4.0 before 1.15.4, 1.16.3, 1.17.1, 1.18.2, and 1.19.2.

How severe is CVE-2026-8468?

CVE-2026-8468 has a CVSS score of 8.2/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.62% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-8468?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.