# CVE-2026-44289: protobufjs uncontrolled recursion in protobuf decoding

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-44289-protobufjs-uncontrolled-recursion-in-protobuf-decoding  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-13. Updated: 2026-06-30  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-44289 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-05-13

A vulnerability in a popular JavaScript library used for data serialization can allow an attacker to crash applications. By sending specially crafted, deeply nested data, an attacker can exhaust the system's memory or processing stack, leading to a denial-of-service. This affects any service that uses this library to process untrusted data from the internet.

Technologies: [protobufjs (npm)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/protobufjs), [Protobufjs Protobuf.Js](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/protobuf-js), [Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/ansible-automation-platform-2), [Red Hat Build of Podman Desktop](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/build-of-podman-desktop), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-8), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI 3](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-ai-3), [Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/openshift-container-platform-4). Vendors: [npm](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/npm), [Protobufjs](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/protobufjs), [Red Hat](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/red-hat).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-44289 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-44289 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-44289?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 13 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** protobufjs (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=7.5.6; Protobufjs Protobuf.Js < 7.5.6, >= 8.0.0 < 8.0.2; Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 2; Red Hat Build of Podman Desktop 1; and 4 more.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-44289?** Yes. protobufjs (npm): upgrade to 7.5.6 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-44289 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-44289?** Check whether you run protobufjs (npm), Protobufjs Protobuf.Js, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 or one of the others listed 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

- protobufjs (npm): upgrade to 7.5.6 or later

  ```sh
  npm install protobufjs@7.5.6
  ```


## Technical details

The protobufjs library fails to enforce a recursion depth limit when decoding nested protobuf binary payloads. This issue occurs during the decoding of nested message fields and when skipping unknown group fields. An unauthenticated remote attacker can provide a crafted binary payload containing deeply nested structures to trigger uncontrolled recursion, exhausting the JavaScript call stack and crashing the process. The vulnerability is fixed in versions 7.5.6 and 8.0.2. Red Hat has also identified several downstream products that incorporate the vulnerable library.

## Affected products

- protobufjs protobuf.js < 7.5.6, >= 8.0.0 < 8.0.2
- Red Hat OpenShift Pipelines 1
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 2
- Red Hat Build of Podman Desktop 1
- Red Hat Ceph Storage 9 9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI 3 3
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 4

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-44289
- GHSA-685m-2w69-288q

## Timeline

- 2026-05-12: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published by dcodeIO
- 2026-05-13: disclosed: CVE-2026-44289 published
- 2026-05-13: patched: Fixes released in versions 7.5.6 and 8.0.2

## References

- [https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/security/advisories/GHSA-685m-2w69-288q](https://github.com/protobufjs/protobuf.js/security/advisories/GHSA-685m-2w69-288q)
- [https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-44289](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-44289)
- [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2477130](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2477130)
- [https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-44289.json](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-44289.json)

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