Executive brief
Suricata is a network security monitoring engine used to detect and block malicious traffic in real-time. A flaw in the IKEv2 protocol parser allows attackers to send specially crafted network packets that cause the system to accumulate memory without limits, leading to denial of service and potential system outages.
Technical details
The vulnerability exists in the IKEv2 parser component, where client transform state is stored without proper bounds or limits. An attacker can send repeated, crafted UDP packets that trigger unbounded allocation of memory resources (CWE-770, CWE-400). The attack is remotely triggerable via network traffic with no authentication or user interaction required. A successful exploit results in memory exhaustion, causing Suricata to become unavailable and unable to monitor or block threats. Patches are available in versions 7.0.16 and 8.0.5; alternatively, IKE parsing can be disabled or traffic can be selectively bypassed using firewall rules.
Affected products
- OISF Suricata before 7.0.16, before 8.0.5
Timeline
- 2026-05-19: disclosed
- 2026-05-19: patched: Versions 7.0.16 and 8.0.5 released