# CVE-2026-53716: Envoy Gateway unbounded memory allocation in Wasm HTTP fetch decompression

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-53716-envoy-gateway-unbounded-memory-allocation-in-wasm-http-fetch  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-14. Updated: 2026-07-16  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-53716 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2026-09-14

Envoy Gateway is a tool used to manage and secure network traffic for applications. A vulnerability exists where the system fails to limit memory usage when downloading and decompressing certain extension files. An attacker with basic tenant permissions can exploit this to crash the management system, causing a persistent service outage for all users.

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

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-53716 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-53716 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-53716?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 14 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** github.com/envoyproxy/gateway (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=1.7.4,introduced=1.8.0-rc.0,fixed=1.8.1, SEMVER:introduced=1.8.0-rc.0,fixed=1.8.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53716?** Yes. github.com/envoyproxy/gateway (Go): upgrade to 1.8.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-53716 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-53716?** Check whether you run github.com/envoyproxy/gateway (Go) 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/envoyproxy/gateway (Go): upgrade to 1.8.1 or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/envoyproxy/gateway@v1.8.1
  ```


## Technical details

A memory allocation vulnerability (CWE-789) exists in Envoy Gateway's Wasm HTTP fetcher. The 'getFileFromGZ' function in 'httpfetcher.go' utilizes 'io.ReadAll' on a 'gzip.Reader' without an output size limit, even though the compressed input is capped at 256 MiB. An attacker with permissions to create an 'EnvoyExtensionPolicy' can provide a malicious URL pointing to a 'gzip bomb' (e.g., a small compressed file that expands to gigabytes). This results in excessive memory allocation in the shared controller process, leading to OOM-kills and persistent crash-loops during reconciliation. Patches are available in versions 1.7.4 and 1.8.1.

## Affected products

- envoyproxy gateway >= 1.8.0-rc.0, < 1.8.1; < 1.7.4

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-53716
- GHSA-cxpq-8v7q-cg56
- GO-2026-6006

## Timeline

- 2026-06-05: disclosed
- 2026-07-16: advisory

## References

- [https://api.github.com/users/zhaohuabing](https://api.github.com/users/zhaohuabing)
- [https://github.com/zhaohuabing](https://github.com/zhaohuabing)
- [https://api.github.com/users/zhaohuabing/gists%7B/gist_id%7D](https://api.github.com/users/zhaohuabing/gists%7B/gist_id%7D)
- [https://api.github.com/users/zhaohuabing/repos](https://api.github.com/users/zhaohuabing/repos)
- [https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/1321762?v=4](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/1321762?v=4)
- [https://api.github.com/users/zhaohuabing/events%7B/privacy%7D](https://api.github.com/users/zhaohuabing/events%7B/privacy%7D)

## Related threats

- [Envoy Gateway NULL pointer dereference in SecurityPolicy](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-53719-envoy-gateway-null-pointer-dereference-in-securitypolicy)
- [Envoy Gateway ReferenceGrant bypass in custom backendRef](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-53718-envoy-gateway-referencegrant-bypass-in-custom-backendref)
- [Envoy Gateway race condition in Wasm cache ServeHTTP](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-53715-envoy-gateway-race-condition-in-wasm-cache-servehttp)
- [Envoy Gateway authentication bypass in xDS control plane](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-53714-envoy-gateway-authentication-bypass-in-xds-control-plane)
- [Envoy Gateway authentication bypass in EnvoyExtensionPolicy Lua](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-53713-envoy-gateway-authentication-bypass-in-envoyextensionpolicy-lua)