# CVE-2026-116128: Starlet memory exhaustion in chunked request decoding

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-116128-starlet-versions-from-0-20-before-0-33-for-perl-allow-memory  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-30. Updated: 2026-10-30  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-116128 · Severity: info · Published 2026-10-30

Starlet is a Perl-based web application server used to handle HTTP requests. A vulnerability in versions 0.20 through 0.32 allows an attacker to exhaust server memory by sending a specially crafted HTTP request with an unbounded chunked transfer encoding, causing worker processes to crash and the application to become unavailable.

Technologies: [Kazuho Starlet](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/starlet). Vendors: [Kazuho](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/kazuho).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-116128 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-116128 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-116128?** Informational severity, published 30 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Kazuho Starlet 0.20 to 0.32.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-116128?** Yes: fixed in Starlet 0.33. Until then: Restrict which clients can send chunked transfer encoding requests, or disable chunked encoding support if not needed for your application. Configure per-connection memory limits and request timeouts at the network or OS level to prevent unbounded buffering. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-116128 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-116128?** Check whether you run Kazuho Starlet 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

- Fixed in Starlet 0.33

Restrict which clients can send chunked transfer encoding requests, or disable chunked encoding support if not needed for your application. Configure per-connection memory limits and request timeouts at the network or OS level to prevent unbounded buffering.

## Technical details

The chunked request body decoder buffers unconsumed input without bounds: an unterminated chunk-size line grows indefinitely as long as the client sends data, and the read timeout resets after each read, allowing the attacker to keep the connection open. Additionally, large chunks are held entirely in memory until complete. A remote attacker can trigger memory exhaustion with a single malicious request that has no authentication or interaction requirements.

## Affected products

- Kazuho Starlet 0.20 to 0.32

## Timeline

- 2026-10-30: disclosed

## References

- [https://cpan.org/modules](https://cpan.org/modules)
- [https://github.com/kazuho/Starlet/commit/f3472712fff64329a43d86368768d80b61714106.patch](https://github.com/kazuho/Starlet/commit/f3472712fff64329a43d86368768d80b61714106.patch)

## Related threats

- [Starlet denial of service via large Content-Length](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115865-starlet-versions-before-0-33-for-perl-allow-a-request-declaring)
- [Starlet versions through 0.31 for Perl allows HTTP Request Smuggling via Improper Header Precedence. Starlet…](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-40561-starlet-versions-through-0-31-for-perl-allows-http-request)