CVE-2026-106121
highpriority · track · 30EPSS 0.005 · 42 %ileDEUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-24
The RabbitMQ Java client library allows Java and JVM-based applications to connect to and interact with RabbitMQ nodes. Prior to 5.37.0, com.rabbitmq.tools.json.JSONReader.read() fails to terminate when input ends inside a quoted string or a line comment because its string and whitespace scanners do not stop at CharacterIterator.DONE. The default DefaultJsonRpcMapper passes JSON-RPC message bodies to this parser for JsonRpcServer and client replies. A truncated string causes the parser to append replacement end markers until heap exhaustion, while a line comment without a terminating newline can keep a thread consuming CPU indefinitely, resulting in denial of service. This issue is fixed in version 5.37.0.
cvss
Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.
base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode⚠ sources disagree · medium–high · 4.9–7.5
ssvc
A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.
weaknesses
The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.
affected products (4)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
advisories (2)
Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.
- WID-SEC-W-2026-3773RabbitMQ Java Client: Mehrere SchwachstellenDeutsch2026-10-06csaf · cert_bundDE
Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen im RabbitMQ Java Client ausnutzen, um einen Denial of Service Angriff durchzuführen und um Informationen offenzulegen.
- GHSA-cqgh-8p3p-mx4mRabbitMQ: JSONReader in the default JSON-RPC mapper never terminates on truncated input, causing DoS2026-10-07ghsa · osvUS
## Summary `com.rabbitmq.tools.json.JSONReader.read()` never returns when its input ends inside a quoted string or a `//` line comment. Both scanners walk the input with `StringCharacterIterator.next()` but only compare against a delimiter, so once the iterator reaches `CharacterIterator.DONE` (``) they loop forever. The string scanner (`string()`, line 210, `while (c != sep)`) also appends `` to a `StringBuilder` every iteration, so it fills the heap and throws `OutOfMemoryError`, taking down the JVM. The comment scanner (`skipWhiteSpace()`, lines 89-92, `while (c != '\n')`) pins a thread at 100% CPU with no allocation. This is reachable with a single message. `JsonRpcServer` and `JsonRpcClient` fall back to `DefaultJsonRpcMapper` whenever no mapper is passed (`JsonRpcServer.java:84` and `:114`, `JsonRpcClient.java:186`), and that mapper hands the raw message body straight to `JSONReader.read()` (`DefaultJsonRpcMapper.java:42` for the server request, `:52` for the client reply). A caller that can publish to the RPC request queue hangs the server; a malicious or MITM'd JSON-RPC service does the same to a client. ## Proof of concept Against `amqp-client` 5.36.0 from Maven Central: ```java import com.rabbitmq.tools.jsonrpc.DefaultJsonRpcMapper; public class Poc { public static void main(String[] args) { DefaultJsonRpcMapper mapper = new DefaultJsonRpcMapper(); mapper.parse("{\"method\":\"x", String.class); // unterminated string // mapper.parse("//", String.class); // unterminated // comment System.out.println("unreachable"); } } ``` `java -Xmx64m -cp amqp-client-5.36.0.jar:. Poc` throws `OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space` in about 0.1s and never prints. Swapping in the `//` line spins at 100% CPU and never returns. A well-formed body such as `{"method":"x"}` returns immediately. ## Impact Availability. One small, unauthenticated message stops a JSON-RPC endpoint: the unterminated string exhausts the heap, the unterminated comment pins a thread forever. Neither is recoverable per request - `JsonRpcServer.doCall` only catches `ClassCastException`, and an `OutOfMemoryError` affects the whole process. ## Scope and fix Only applications using the JSON-RPC-over-AMQP tooling (`com.rabbitmq.tools.jsonrpc`) with the default `DefaultJsonRpcMapper` are affected. `DefaultJsonRpcMapper` and `JSONReader` are deprecated in favour of `JacksonJsonRpcMapper`, but both still ship and remain the default when no mapper is supplied. The fix is to stop both loops at `CharacterIterator.DONE`.
sources
Which sources assert this record, and when.
references (4) nvd
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/rabbitmq/rabbitmq-java-client/commit/25fad817291feff3195c32620117d295598f8b41Patch
- https://github.com/rabbitmq/rabbitmq-java-client/pull/2100Patch
- https://github.com/rabbitmq/rabbitmq-java-client/releases/tag/v5.37.0Release Notes
- https://github.com/rabbitmq/rabbitmq-java-client/security/advisories/GHSA-cqgh-8p3p-mx4mExploitVendor Advisory
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