CVE-2026-97394
Description
A flaw was found in kin-openapi's openapi3filter module. This vulnerability allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by crashing the application. The issue occurs when processing OpenAPI 3.1 array schemas that lack an items definition, causing the parser to encounter an unhandled null pointer while decoding form-encoded or multipart request bodies and response headers. An attacker can exploit this condition by submitting a crafted request to an affected endpoint, resulting in unexpected service termination.
Statement
Red Hat has evaluated this vulnerability as having an Important severity rating because an unauthenticated remote attacker can deterministically trigger an application crash, resulting in denial of service. The issue specifically impacts environments where incoming network traffic is validated against OpenAPI 3.1 definitions containing array schemas that omit item specifications during multipart or URL-encoded form handling. Deployments utilizing OpenAPI 3.0 or those strictly handling JSON-formatted request bodies remain unaffected by this defect.
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).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.5 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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