CVE-2026-90797
Deferred Deferred - Pending Action

Memory Exhaustion in Apache CouchDB chttpd

Publication date: 2026-10-20

Last updated on: 2026-10-20

Assigner: Apache Software Foundation

Description
An unlimited gzip decompression routine in chttpd in Apache CouchDB 3.5.2 and below on all platforms allows any remote client to cause a denial of service via memory exhaustion. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.5.3, which fixes this issue.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-20
Last Modified
2026-10-20
Generated
2026-11-09
AI Q&A
2026-10-20
EPSS Evaluated
2026-11-08
NVD
CVE-2026-90797
EUVD
EUVD-2026-105156

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
Apache Software Foundation Apache CouchDB 0

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Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-409 The product does not handle or incorrectly handles a compressed input with a very high compression ratio that produces a large output.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a denial of service issue in Apache CouchDB versions 3.5.2 and below. It involves an unlimited gzip decompression routine in chttpd that allows remote clients to exhaust server memory by sending specially crafted requests.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, monitor for unusual memory usage spikes or crashes in Apache CouchDB processes. Check logs for POST requests to /_session without authentication. Use tools like netstat or ss to inspect network connections to chttpd. Upgrade to version 3.5.3 or later to confirm mitigation.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to crash your CouchDB server by consuming all available memory, leading to service disruption and potential downtime for applications relying on it.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability primarily impacts availability by causing memory exhaustion, which could lead to system outages. For GDPR, availability is a core principle, so prolonged outages may raise compliance concerns. HIPAA requires safeguards against disruptions, so this issue could violate security and availability requirements if exploited.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Apache CouchDB to version 3.5.3 or later to fix the memory exhaustion issue in the gzip decompression routine.

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