CVE-2026-45740
highpriority · track · 30EPSS 0.003 · 18 %ileDEEUUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-27
protobufjs compiles protobuf definitions into JavaScript (JS) functions. Prior to 7.5.8 and 8.2.0, protobufjs could recurse without a depth limit while expanding nested JSON descriptors through Root.fromJSON() and Namespace.addJSON(). A crafted JSON descriptor with deeply nested namespace definitions could cause the JavaScript call stack to be exhausted during descriptor loading. This vulnerability is fixed in 7.5.8 and 8.2.0.
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 · 5.3–7.5
ssvc
A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.
weaknesses
The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.
affected products (14)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.2all versionscert_bundDEcpe:/a:redhat:ansible_automation_platform:2.2
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platformall versionscert_bundDEcpe:/a:redhat:openshift:container_platform
- protobufjs project protobufjs8.0.0 → 8.2.0nvdUScpe:2.3:a:protobufjs_project:protobufjs:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
advisories (2)
Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.
- WID-SEC-W-2026-2452Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (node-tar, linkify-it, protobufjs, brace-expansion, fast-uri, DOMPurify): Mehrere SchwachstellenDeutsch2026-07-21csaf · cert_bundDE
Ein entfernter, anonymer Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform ausnutzen, um Sicherheitsmaßnahmen zu umgehen, Cross-Site-Scripting-Angriffe durchzuführen, Daten zu manipulieren, einen Denial-of-Service-Zustand auszulösen oder beliebigen Code auszuführen.
- GHSA-jggg-4jg4-v7c6protobufjs: Denial of Service via unbounded recursive JSON descriptor expansion2026-05-19ghsa · osvUS
## Summary protobufjs could recurse without a depth limit while expanding nested JSON descriptors through `Root.fromJSON()` and `Namespace.addJSON()`. A crafted JSON descriptor with deeply nested namespace definitions could cause the JavaScript call stack to be exhausted during descriptor loading. ## Impact An attacker who can provide JSON descriptors loaded by an application may be able to crash the process or otherwise cause schema loading to fail with a stack overflow. This affects applications that load JSON descriptors from untrusted sources with affected versions. ## Preconditions - The application must load JSON descriptor data influenced by an attacker. - The crafted descriptor must contain deeply nested `nested` namespace objects. - The affected `Root.fromJSON()` / `Namespace.addJSON()` descriptor expansion path must process the crafted input. ## Workarounds Avoid loading untrusted protobuf JSON descriptors with affected versions. If immediate upgrade is not possible, reject excessively nested descriptor structures at an outer validation boundary where feasible, or isolate descriptor loading in a process that can be safely restarted.
also known as (3)
Other names and identifiers for this entity.
sources
Which sources assert this record, and when.
references (4)
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/Patchcnnvd
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45740cnnvd
- https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/security/advisories/GHSA-jggg-4jg4-v7c6enisa_euvd
- https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/security/advisories/GHSA-jggg-4jg4-v7c6MitigationVendor Advisorynvd
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