CVE-2026-68981
Received Received - Intake

Memory Exhaustion in Apache NiFi via Gzip Requests

Publication date: 2026-08-03

Last updated on: 2026-08-03

Assigner: Apache Software Foundation

Description
Apache NiFi 1.5.0 through 2.10.0 support gzip-encoded HTTP requests for the application REST API using a Jersey encoding filter. The framework enforced a configurable maximum request size on the compressed payload rather than the decompressed output, allowing a malicious client to send crafted requests that could consume excessive amounts of memory. Upgrading to Apache NiFi 2.11.0 is the recommended mitigation, which relocates response compression to Jetty Server and disables decompression of gzip-encoded HTTP requests.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-03
Last Modified
2026-08-03
Generated
2026-08-04
AI Q&A
2026-08-03
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-68981
EUVD
EUVD-2026-52423

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
apache nifi From 1.5.0 (inc) to 2.10.0 (inc)
apache nifi 2.11.0

Helpful Resources

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

Apache NiFi versions 1.5.0 to 2.10.0 have a flaw where gzip-encoded HTTP requests to the REST API are decompressed without enforcing a size limit on the decompressed output. This allows attackers to send requests that consume excessive memory by sending large compressed payloads that expand significantly when decompressed.

Detection Guidance

Detecting this vulnerability requires checking Apache NiFi versions between 1.5.0 and 2.10.0. Use commands like 'nifi.sh status' or check version in configuration files. Monitor for excessive memory usage during HTTP requests, especially with gzip-encoded payloads.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to denial-of-service conditions by exhausting server memory, causing crashes or degraded performance. It may also enable unauthorized access if combined with other vulnerabilities, as excessive resource consumption can disrupt normal operations.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Apache NiFi to version 2.11.0 or later immediately. This version disables gzip request decompression and moves response compression to Jetty Server, eliminating the memory exhaustion risk.

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