# CVE-2026-50285: Pomerium uncontrolled resource consumption in HPKE callback decompression

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-50285-pomerium-uncontrolled-resource-consumption-in-hpke-callback  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-17. Updated: 2026-07-15  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-50285 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-09-17

Pomerium, an identity-aware proxy, is vulnerable to a denial-of-service attack that can crash the service. An unauthenticated attacker can send a specially crafted, highly compressed data packet to a specific public endpoint, causing the server to exhaust its memory while trying to decompress it. This can lead to service outages, preventing legitimate users from accessing protected applications.

Technologies: [github.com/pomerium/pomerium (Go)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/github-com-pomerium-pomerium). Vendors: [Go](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/go).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-50285 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-50285 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-50285?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 17 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** github.com/pomerium/pomerium (Go) >= 0.32.6, < 0.32.8, SEMVER:introduced=0.32.6,fixed=0.32.8; Pomerium >= 0.32.6, < 0.32.8.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-50285?** Yes. github.com/pomerium/pomerium (Go): upgrade to 0.32.8 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-50285 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-50285?** Check whether you run github.com/pomerium/pomerium (Go) or Pomerium 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

- github.com/pomerium/pomerium (Go): upgrade to 0.32.8 or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/pomerium/pomerium@v0.32.8
  ```


## Technical details

A resource exhaustion vulnerability (CWE-400) exists in Pomerium's HPKE V2 URL decoding path within `pkg/hpke/url.go`. The `decodeQueryStringV2` function uses `zstd.DecodeAll` on attacker-controlled data without an output size limit. In stateless authentication deployments (Pomerium Zero), the `/.pomerium/callback` endpoint is reachable without authentication and processes these payloads before validating the sender's identity. By utilizing the publicly available HPKE receiver public key, a remote, unauthenticated attacker can deliver a zstd decompression bomb that causes unbounded memory allocation, leading to a process crash. This issue is fixed in version 0.32.8.

## Affected products

- Pomerium Pomerium >= 0.32.6, < 0.32.8

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-50285
- GHSA-ggw3-5987-rx77

## Timeline

- 2026-06-04: advisory: GitHub Advisory published
- 2026-07-15: disclosed: CVE-2026-50285 published
- patched: Fixed in version 0.32.8

## References

- [https://api.github.com/users/bugbunny-research](https://api.github.com/users/bugbunny-research)
- [https://github.com/bugbunny-research](https://github.com/bugbunny-research)
- [https://api.github.com/users/bugbunny-research/gists%7B/gist_id%7D](https://api.github.com/users/bugbunny-research/gists%7B/gist_id%7D)
- [https://api.github.com/users/bugbunny-research/repos](https://api.github.com/users/bugbunny-research/repos)
- [https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/262839898?v=4](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/262839898?v=4)
- [https://api.github.com/users/bugbunny-research/events%7B/privacy%7D](https://api.github.com/users/bugbunny-research/events%7B/privacy%7D)

## Related threats

- [Pomerium service account access token may grant unintended access to databroker API](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2024-47616-pomerium-service-account-access-token-may-grant-unintended-access)
- [GO-2022-0933 - Incorrect handling of H2 GOAWAY + SETTINGS frames in github.com/pomerium/pomerium](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-39162-incorrect-handling-of-h2-goaway-settings-frames)
- [GO-2022-0827 - pomerium_signature is not verified in middleware in github.com/pomerium/pomerium](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-29652-pomerium-signature-is-not-verified-in-middleware-in-github-com)
- [GO-2022-0783 - JWT leak via Open Redirect in Programmatic access in github.com/pomerium/pomerium](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-29651-jwt-leak-via-open-redirect-in-programmatic-access)
- [GO-2022-0413 - Exposure of Sensitive Information in Pomerium in github.com/pomerium/pomerium](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-24797-exposure-of-debug-and-metrics-endpoints-in-pomerium)