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CVE-2026-16318

MediumCVSS 6.9 / 10
Published Jul 21, 2026·Last modified Jul 22, 2026
Affected Components(0)

No affected components available

Description

The QUIC transport parameters extension handler in s2n-tls incorrectly uses s2n_alloc instead of s2n_realloc to store the peer's transport parameters. When a TLS 1.3 connection goes through a HelloRetryRequest, the handler is called twice on the same connection. On the second call, s2n_alloc zeroes the existing pointer before allocating new memory, causing the first allocation to be leaked.

This can occur during normal QUIC traffic when a client offers a key share group the server does not prefer. An unauthenticated user can amplify the issue by deliberately forcing HelloRetryRequests, causing up to approximately 64 KB of unreachable memory per handshake. Over time, this can lead to increased memory consumption on long-running server processes. The unreachable memory is only reclaimed when the process is restarted.

Only server-side QUIC-enabled deployments are affected. Non-QUIC TLS connections are not affected.

We recommend you upgrade s2n-tls to version v1.7.6

Risk Scores
Base Score
6.9

The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker does not need any special privileges or access rights. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability.

Threat Intelligence
2.7

Limited exploitation activity has been observed. Close monitoring and planned remediation are recommended.

EPSS
0.39%

The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.

Exploit
Not available

We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.

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