CVE-2026-5440
Received Received - Intake
Memory Exhaustion via Unbounded Content-Length in HTTP Server

Publication date: 2026-04-09

Last updated on: 2026-04-14

Assigner: CERT/CC

Description
A memory exhaustion vulnerability exists in the HTTP server due to unbounded use of the `Content-Length` header. The server allocates memory directly based on the attacker supplied header value without enforcing an upper limit. A crafted HTTP request containing an extremely large `Content-Length` value can trigger excessive memory allocation and server termination, even without sending a request body.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-04-09
Last Modified
2026-04-14
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-04-09
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2026-5440
EUVD
EUVD-2026-20917
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
orthanc-server orthanc to 1.12.11 (exc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-770 The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.
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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to denial of service by causing the server to consume excessive memory and terminate unexpectedly.

An attacker can exploit this by sending a request with a very large Content-Length header, which may disrupt normal server operations and availability.

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a memory exhaustion issue in an HTTP server caused by the unbounded use of the Content-Length header.

The server allocates memory based directly on the value provided in the Content-Length header without enforcing any upper limit.

An attacker can send a crafted HTTP request with an extremely large Content-Length value, which causes the server to allocate excessive memory and potentially terminate, even if the request body is not sent.

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