Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2026-78659: HTTP/2 server memory exhaustion due to Trailer headers in net/http
When "Trailer" headers are sent by a client, the HTTP server internally uses the header values to populate the Request.Trailer map passed to the server handler.
CVSS 7.5 High EPSS 0.6% · p46 Patch this week
Should you act?
Normal patch cycle
No exploitation signal; fix it in your next routine update if you are affected. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 0.6%, percentile 46: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.6% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 46% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Editorial verdict: Patch this week. Go October 2026 Security Releases: 16 Stdlib Fixes — Rebuild and redeploy Go services with Go 1.27.3 or 1.26.10 this week, starting with internet-facing HTTP/2 servers and reverse proxies; none of these bugs is known to be exploited.
What it is
When "Trailer" headers are sent by a client, the HTTP server internally uses the header values to populate the Request.Trailer map passed to the server handler. Because Request.Trailer is a map, each entry incurs memory overhead. For HTTP/2 servers, a malicious client can exploit this by sending a "Trailer" header that declares a large number of fields, causing the server to allocate a disproportionate amount of memory while bypassing Server.MaxHeaderValueCount and Server.MaxHeaderBytes limits. This exploit is not applicable for HTTP/1 servers, which do not support multiplexing a large number of requests over one TCP connection, and whose Server.MaxHeaderBytes are calculated differently.
Weakness type: CWE-405.
Product: Go standard library net/http · Assigned by: Go · Published: 2026-10-08
Affected and fixed versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| Go standard library | net/http | < 1.26.9 |
| Go standard library | net/http/internal/http2 | 1.27.0-0 < 1.27.2 |
| golang.org/x/net | golang.org/x/net/http2 | < 0.60.0 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADP | 3.1 | 7.5 High | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact partial.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.57% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 46.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by Go
- — erroneo.us brief: Go October 2026 Security Releases: 16 Stdlib Fixes
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vulnerability records
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-78659 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-78659 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- go.dev go.dev
- go.dev go.dev
- go.dev go.dev
- groups.google.com groups.google.com
- groups.google.com groups.google.com
- pkg.go.dev pkg.go.dev