Exploiting CVE-2026-18540 requires specific conditions, leading to a moderate security impact.
Status: Awaiting Analysis
Last updated: 🕖 08 Sep 2026, 19:07 UTC
Originally published on: 🕕 04 Sep 2026, 18:17 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 4 days
CVSS Release: version 3
ce714d77-add3-4f53-aff5-83d477b104bb
Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
CVE-2026-18540: undici's retry interceptor can append the body of a ranged retry response to bytes already delivered from an earlier partial response while still presenting the original response's status and headers. This happens when an upstream server delivers part of a body without a trustworthy resume checkpoint, for example a non-success response whose headers were already sent or a partial-content response with an unusable content range, then closes the connection and answers the resumed range request with more bytes. As a result the response body can be longer than the Content-Length that the application observes. An application that relays such a response to a downstream HTTP/1.1 peer without normalizing the framing can emit a body that exceeds the forwarded Content-Length, and the excess bytes can be interpreted as the start of a following response, which enables downstream response splitting or desynchronization. Exploitation requires an attacker-controlled upstream server and an application that forwards the response through a framing-sensitive path. This affects undici versions before 6.28.1, from 7.0.0 up to 7.29.1, and from 8.0.0 up to 8.10.2. Users should upgrade to undici 6.28.1, 7.29.1, or 8.10.2.
The exploitability of CVE-2026-18540 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
CVE-2026-18540 presents a challenge to exploit due to its high attack complexity, but the absence of privilege requirements still makes it a viable target for skilled attackers. A thorough security review is advised.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-18540, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-18540, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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