CVE-2026-54285
Description
A flaw was found in the @opentelemetry/core component of the OpenTelemetry JavaScript Client. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to trigger uncontrolled memory allocation by sending oversized baggage HTTP headers. The system's inability to enforce size limits during inbound baggage parsing can lead to resource exhaustion, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS).
Statement
Red Hat products ship @opentelemetry/core as a transitive dependency in several components, but the vulnerable W3CBaggagePropagator.extract() code path has limited practical impact. Node.js enforces a default --max-http-header-size of 16,384 bytes, which caps the total size of all HTTP headers before they reach the propagator. The baggage header is already parsed and in memory by the HTTP layer; the additional allocation from the propagator is only the overhead of splitting into entry objects, not an unbounded read. In Red Hat's containerized deployments, this further limits the blast radius of any memory exhaustion attempt.
Mitigation
Ensure HTTP header size limits are configured at the server or gateway level. The default Node.js HTTP header limit (16 KB) mitigates external attack vectors independently of this fix. For non-HTTP transports receiving baggage from untrusted sources, validate input size before passing it to the propagator.
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 | 5.3 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | 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 | Low | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
Downgraded: Node.js default 16KB header limit caps attack surface; memory overhead is proportional to already-in-memory header, not unbounded. Exploitable DoS requires non-default config or non-HTTP transport.
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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