CVE-2026-2229 | undici is vulnerable to Unhandled Exception in undici WebSocket Client Due to Invalid server_max_window_bits Validation

ImpactThe undici WebSocket client is vulnerable to a denial-of-service attack due to improper validation of the server_max_window_bits parameter in the permessage-deflate extension. When a WebSocket client connects to a server, it automatically advertises support for permessage-deflate compression. A malicious server can respond with an out-of-range server_max_window_bits value (outside zlib's valid range of 8-15). When the server subsequently sends a compressed frame, the client attempts to create a zlib InflateRaw instance with the invalid windowBits value, causing a synchronous RangeError exception that is not caught, resulting in immediate process termination. The vulnerability exists because: * The isValidClientWindowBits() function only validates that the value contains ASCII digits, not that it falls within the valid range 8-15 * The createInflateRaw() call is not wrapped in a try-catch block * The resulting exception propagates up through the call stack and crashes the Node.js process

Published: 2026-03-12 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: ce714d77-add3-4f53-aff5-83d477b104bb Source: ce714d77-add3-4f53-aff5-83d477b104bb

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-2229 is rated Moderate Risk (43.6/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.49%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-2229

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.19% 0.49% +0.30%
2 2026-03-21 0.07% 0.19% +0.12%
3 2026-03-13 0.07%

Full EPSS history (3 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-2229

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 3.6 ce714d77-add3-4f53-aff5-83d477b104bb

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-2229

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-2229

GHSA-v9p9-hfj2-hcw8 · Severity: high · Ecosystem: npm — Undici has Unhandled Exception in WebSocket Client Due to Invalid server_max_window_bits Validation

OS Trackers for CVE-2026-2229

vendor priority summary link
alpine CVE-2026-2229: 1 source package rows (nodejs); 10 state rows across 5 repos (3.19-main, 3.20-main, 3.21-main, 3.22-main, edge-main); fixed 0, open 10. https://security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2026-2229
debian not yet assigned CVE-2026-2229 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (node-undici), 4 status rows across 4 suites (bookworm, forky, sid, trixie): open 2, resolved 2. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-2229
redhat high https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-2229
ubuntu medium CVE-2026-2229 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (node-undici), 4 status rows across 4 suites (jammy, noble, questing, upstream): needs-triage 3, DNE 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-2229

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-2229

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
nodejs undici < 6.24.0 cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:undici:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
nodejs undici >= 7.0.0, < 7.24.0 cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:undici:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*

References for CVE-2026-2229

cvelogic Threat Intelligence