CVE-2026-54233
Description
A flaw was found in vLLM, an inference and serving engine for large language models (LLMs). A remote attacker could exploit a vulnerability in the /v1/audio/transcriptions endpoint. By uploading a specially crafted compressed audio file, such as an OPUS file, the attacker could cause the system to allocate an excessive amount of memory during the decoding process. This uncontrolled memory allocation can lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) condition, making the service unavailable to legitimate users.
Statement
Red Hat rates this issue as having Moderate impact. A crafted audio upload to the vLLM /v1/audio/transcriptions endpoint can cause excessive decoded PCM allocation and denial of service. Affected components are vLLM serving images in Red Hat AI Inference Server, Red Hat OpenShift AI, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI bootc that ship vLLM prior to 0.23.1. KServe sidecars are not affected.
Mitigation
Limit access to audio transcription endpoints. Enforce authentication and request rate limits at the route or gateway. Set pod memory limits and restart policies. Upgrade to vLLM >= 0.23.1 when available from Red Hat.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.5 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory); DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)
When allocating resources without limits, an attacker could prevent other systems, applications, or processes from accessing the same type of resource. It can be easy for an attacker to consume many resources by rapidly making many requests or causing larger resources to be used than is needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
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