CVE.org (no NVD analysis yet)· CNA HeroDevs

CVE-2026-68498: jackson-core: Delayed maxNameLength enforcement for char-backed input (ReaderBasedJsonParser) allows memory-exhaustion denial of service

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 30/100)

The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.65% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 51.4% of all records.
Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
Fixed version: FasterXML jackson-core 2.18.10, 2.21.6, 2.22.2.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to FasterXML jackson-core 2.18.10, 2.21.6, 2.22.2 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

StreamReadConstraints.maxNameLength (default 50,000 characters) is intended to bound how much memory a single JSON Object property name can consume while being parsed, independently of the much larger maxStringLength (default 100,000,000 characters) that bounds ordinary string values. For parsers built over character input — Reader, String or char[] sources, all served by ReaderBasedJsonParser — that bound is not applied while the name is being accumulated. The code path instead re-uses the string-value length check, which is roughly 2000x larger by default. In the character-input slow path, ReaderBasedJsonParser._parseName2() accumulates the name into the TextBuffer and, when a segment fills, calls TextBuffer.finishCurrentSegment(), which validates only maxStringLength. The correct check, StreamReadConstraints.validateNameLength(int), is reached afterwards in CharsToNameCanonicalizer.findSymbol(), once the entire name has been scanned to its closing quote. By that point the full name — up to maxStringLength characters — has already been buffered in memory. A remote attacker who can have a single sufficiently long JSON Object property name parsed through this path can force allocation on the order of 100,000,000 characters (approximately 200 MB, with segment bookkeeping pushing real peak usage higher) before any StreamConstraintsException is thrown, instead of the approximately 50,000-character (about 100 KB) bound the API promises. Repeating this across concurrent requests can exhaust the heap and crash the process. No authentication or user interaction is required. Because StreamReadConstraints.maxDocumentLength is disabled by default (-1), nothing else bounds the token first, so the issue is exploitable under default configuration. Byte-input parsers are not affected: UTF8StreamJsonParser, UTF8DataInputJsonParser and the non-blocking (async) parsers re-validate maxNameLength on every growth of the name-decode buffer via ParserBase._growNameDecodeBuffer(), rejecting an oversized name after allocating only tens of kilobytes. Applications are exposed when untrusted JSON is parsed from a String, Reader or char[] — for example an HTTP request body already read into a String — rather than from raw UTF-8 bytes. This issue affects com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-core from 2.16.0 and tools.jackson.core:jackson-core from 3.0.0. Releases before 2.16.0 are not affected, because StreamReadConstraints.maxNameLength was first introduced in jackson-core 2.16.0.

HighCVSS 7.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Published: Oct 16, 2026
Updated: Oct 20, 2026
EPSS: 0.6% · 51th percentile
CWE: CWE-400

Report tools

JSON

Action score

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS: 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
CISA KEV: 0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS: 0 / 30 · 0.6%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation: none
Automatable: yes
Technical impact: partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD: —
CNA · HeroDevs: 7.5; NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
No public exploit code on record
A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

Is your version affected? Check it

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

We use this product, ask for help

Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

—

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (HeroDevs). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

FasterXML jackson-core
- 2.18.10, 2.21.6, 2.22.2, 3.1.6, 3.2.2not affected
- 2.16.0 and later · before 2.18.10affected · maven
- 2.19.0 and later · before 2.21.6affected · maven
- 2.22.0 and later · before 2.22.2affected · maven
- 3.0.0 and later · before 3.1.6affected · maven
- 3.2.0 and later · before 3.2.2affected · maven

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

+80

Same product

fasterxml: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

CVE-2026-68494jackson-core: Async parser maxNumberLength bypass via chunked digit accumulation (incomplete fix for CVE-2026-18401 / GHSA-72hv-8253-57qq)
34Monitor
CVE-2026-29062jackson-core: Nesting Depth Constraint Bypass in `UTF8DataInputJsonParser` potentially allowing Resource Exhaustion
34Monitor
CVE-2025-52999jackson-core Has Potential for StackoverflowError if user parses an input file that contains very deeply nested data
34Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

← EarlierCVE-2026-18401Aug 4, 2026 · jackson-core: Number length constraint bypass in non-blocking (async) JSON parser leads to potential denial of service
27Monitor
← EarlierCVE-2026-89407Sep 22, 2026 · jackson-core: quadratic backtracking in NumberInput.PATTERN_FLOAT via looksLikeValidNumber() enables ReDoS
30Monitor
← EarlierCVE-2026-89425Sep 22, 2026 · jackson-core: UTF8DataInputJsonParser._reportInvalidToken() does not honor maxErrorTokenLength, allowing unbounded StringBuilder growth
30Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / package	Fixed version	Source
FasterXML jackson-core	2.18.10	Vendor (CNA)
FasterXML jackson-core	2.21.6	Vendor (CNA)
FasterXML jackson-core	2.22.2	Vendor (CNA)
FasterXML jackson-core	3.1.6	Vendor (CNA)
FasterXML jackson-core	3.2.2	Vendor (CNA)
almalinux:apache-commons-collections	3.2.2-10.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:apache-commons-lang	2.6-21.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:apache-commons-net	3.6-3.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:bea-stax-api	1.2.0-16.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:glassfish-fastinfoset	1.2.13-9.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:glassfish-jaxb-api	2.2.12-8.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:glassfish-jaxb-core	2.2.11-12.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:glassfish-jaxb-runtime	2.2.11-12.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:glassfish-jaxb-txw2	2.2.11-12.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:jackson-annotations	2.21-1.module_el8.10.0+4235+0924958e · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:jackson-core	2.21.4-1.module_el8.10.0+4329+908ad137.3 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:jackson-databind	2.21.4-1.module_el8.10.0+4329+908ad137.1 · AlmaLinux:8	Package registry (OSV)
debian:jackson-core	2.18.11-1 · Debian:14	Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:jackson-annotations	2.18.11-160000.1.1 · openSUSE:Leap 16.0	Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:jackson-core	2.18.11-1.1 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed	Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:jackson-databind	2.18.11-160000.1.1 · openSUSE:Leap 16.0	Package registry (OSV)
rocky linux:apache-commons-collections	0:3.2.2-10.module+el8.10.0+1763+c7c02164 · Rocky Linux:8	Package registry (OSV)
rocky linux:apache-commons-lang	0:2.6-21.module+el8.10.0+1763+c7c02164 · Rocky Linux:8	Package registry (OSV)
rocky linux:apache-commons-net	0:3.6-3.module+el8.10.0+1763+c7c02164 · Rocky Linux:8	Package registry (OSV)
rocky linux:bea-stax	0:1.2.0-16.module+el8.10.0+1763+c7c02164 · Rocky Linux:8	Package registry (OSV)
rocky linux:glassfish-fastinfoset	0:1.2.13-9.module+el8.10.0+1763+c7c02164 · Rocky Linux:8	Package registry (OSV)
rocky linux:glassfish-jaxb	0:2.2.11-12.module+el8.10.0+1763+c7c02164 · Rocky Linux:8	Package registry (OSV)
rocky linux:glassfish-jaxb-api	0:2.2.12-8.module+el8.10.0+1763+c7c02164 · Rocky Linux:8	Package registry (OSV)
rocky linux:jackson-annotations	0:2.21-1.module+el8.10.0+40260+021059e6 · Rocky Linux:8	Package registry (OSV)
rocky linux:jackson-core	0:2.21.4-1.module+el8.10.0+40260+021059e6 · Rocky Linux:8	Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

PublishedOct 16, 2026
Fix recordedOct 16, 2026same day
TodayNov 8, 2026+23 d

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

tinyb0yfinder
cowtowncoder (Tatu Saloranta)coordinator

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

CVE-2026-8940724 days apartjackson-core: quadratic backtracking in NumberInput.PATTERN_FLOAT via looksLikeValidNumber() enables ReDoS
30Monitor
CVE-2026-8942524 days apartjackson-core: UTF8DataInputJsonParser._reportInvalidToken() does not honor maxErrorTokenLength, allowing unbounded StringBuilder growth
30Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
No account or password is required.
No user action is required.
No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality: none
Integrity: none
Availability: high · the service can be disrupted

Attack vector: Network
Attack complexity: Low
Privileges required: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality impact: None
Integrity impact: None
Availability impact: High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-400 · Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-secondary

Root cause

Code that parses nested structures sets no depth or size limit. A small input can turn into a disproportionate processing load.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-400 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

1function expand(node) {
2  return node.children.map(expand);
3}

Fixed

1const MAX_DEPTH = 32;
2function expand(node, depth = 0) {
3  if (depth > MAX_DEPTH) throw new Error("too deep");
4  return node.children.map((c) => expand(c, depth + 1));
5}

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Attack patterns (CAPEC)

ATT&CK techniques

Endpoint Denial of ServiceT1499

Change log

SSVC exploitation— → noneOct 20, 2026, 8:07 PM UTC
Exploit maturity— → noneOct 16, 2026, 11:07 PM UTC
Fix✗ → ✓Oct 16, 2026, 11:07 PM UTC

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

github.com/FasterXML/jackson-core/blob/2.x/release-notes/VERSION-2.x

Show all references (4 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records

Ecosystem	Package	Affected range	Fix
AlmaLinux:8	apache-commons-collections	before 3.2.2-10.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	3.2.2-10.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	apache-commons-lang	before 2.6-21.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	2.6-21.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	apache-commons-net	before 3.6-3.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	3.6-3.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	bea-stax-api	before 1.2.0-16.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	1.2.0-16.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	glassfish-fastinfoset	before 1.2.13-9.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	1.2.13-9.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	glassfish-jaxb-api	before 2.2.12-8.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	2.2.12-8.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	glassfish-jaxb-core	before 2.2.11-12.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953	2.2.11-12.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953
AlmaLinux:8	glassfish-jaxb-runtime	before 2.2.11-12.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953	2.2.11-12.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953
AlmaLinux:8	glassfish-jaxb-txw2	before 2.2.11-12.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953	2.2.11-12.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953
AlmaLinux:8	jackson-annotations	before 2.21-1.module_el8.10.0+4235+0924958e	2.21-1.module_el8.10.0+4235+0924958e
AlmaLinux:8	jackson-core	before 2.21.4-1.module_el8.10.0+4329+908ad137.3	2.21.4-1.module_el8.10.0+4329+908ad137.3
AlmaLinux:8	jackson-databind	before 2.21.4-1.module_el8.10.0+4329+908ad137.1	2.21.4-1.module_el8.10.0+4329+908ad137.1
AlmaLinux:8	jackson-jaxrs-json-provider	before 2.21.4-1.module_el8.10.0+4235+0924958e	2.21.4-1.module_el8.10.0+4235+0924958e
AlmaLinux:8	jackson-jaxrs-providers	before 2.21.4-1.module_el8.10.0+4235+0924958e	2.21.4-1.module_el8.10.0+4235+0924958e
AlmaLinux:8	jackson-module-jaxb-annotations	before 2.21.4-2.module_el8.10.0+4235+0924958e	2.21.4-2.module_el8.10.0+4235+0924958e
AlmaLinux:8	jakarta-commons-httpclient	before 1:3.1-28.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	1:3.1-28.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	javassist	before 3.18.1-8.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	3.18.1-8.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	javassist-javadoc	before 3.18.1-8.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	3.18.1-8.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	pki-servlet-engine	before 1:9.0.62-1.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953	1:9.0.62-1.module_el8.10.0+3791+e0637953
AlmaLinux:8	relaxngDatatype	before 2011.1-7.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	2011.1-7.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	slf4j	before 1.7.25-4.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	1.7.25-4.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	slf4j-jdk14	before 1.7.25-4.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	1.7.25-4.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	stax-ex	before 1.7.7-8.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	1.7.7-8.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00
AlmaLinux:8	velocity	before 1.7-24.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00	1.7-24.module_el8.5.0+2577+9e95fe00