# CVE-2026-102281: NestJS denial of service via deeply nested microservice message pattern

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-102281-nest-is-a-framework-for-building-scalable-node-js-server-side  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-28. Updated: 2026-09-28  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-102281 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-09-28

NestJS is a framework for building scalable Node.js server applications, commonly used to build backend APIs and microservices. When using TCP or RabbitMQ transport protocols, a malicious message containing a deeply nested object structure can crash the microservice, causing a denial of service. An attacker with network access to the TCP port or access to the RabbitMQ queue can trigger this crash on demand.

Technologies: [NestJS Nest](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/nest). Vendors: [NestJS](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/nestjs), [npm](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/npm).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-102281 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-102281 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-102281?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 28 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** NestJS Nest Before 11.2.4 and 12.0.2; @nestjs/microservices (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=11.2.4.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-102281?** Yes. @nestjs/microservices (npm): upgrade to 11.2.4 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-102281 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-102281?** Check whether you run NestJS Nest or @nestjs/microservices (npm) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- @nestjs/microservices (npm): upgrade to 11.2.4 or later

  ```sh
  npm install @nestjs/microservices@11.2.4
  ```


## Technical details

The vulnerability exists in ServerTCP#handleMessage and ServerRMQ#handleMessage, which pass client-controlled message patterns directly to JSON.stringify without validation. Sufficiently deep nesting triggers a RangeError (Maximum call stack size exceeded), and the unhandled promise rejection terminates the Node.js process. Only TCP and RabbitMQ transports are affected; other transports are unaffected because they receive patterns as strings. Fixes are available in versions 11.2.4 and 12.0.2.

## Affected products

- NestJS Nest Before 11.2.4 and 12.0.2

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-102281
- GHSA-m8vh-jmq9-5rjg

## Timeline

- 2026-09-28: disclosed
- 2026-09-14: patched: Fix committed to master (11.2.4) and backport to 12.0.2

## References

- [https://github.com/nestjs/nest/commit/aa97b5144d8dff1ce700aac521eb86449a679d6f](https://github.com/nestjs/nest/commit/aa97b5144d8dff1ce700aac521eb86449a679d6f)
- [https://github.com/nestjs/nest/commit/e9dcd4c7ac64361fbfe79461da85f5b3fc3e02da](https://github.com/nestjs/nest/commit/e9dcd4c7ac64361fbfe79461da85f5b3fc3e02da)

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