# CVE-2026-85443: MOOS core-moos denial of service in MOOSCommServer

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85443-moos-core-moos-denial-of-service-in-mooscommserver  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-03. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-85443 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-09-03

MOOS core-moos is a lightweight middleware communication framework used in robotic and autonomous systems. A denial of service vulnerability in the MOOSDB server allows an attacker to send incomplete connection requests that cause the accept thread to block indefinitely, preventing all legitimate clients from connecting to the system and effectively stopping all operations dependent on the message bus.

Technologies: [MOOS Core-Moos](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/core-moos). Vendors: [MOOS](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/moos).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-85443 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-85443 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-85443?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 3 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** MOOS Core-Moos through 10.4.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-85443?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-85443 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-85443?** Check whether you run MOOS Core-Moos 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.

## Technical details

The vulnerability is a denial of service caused by a blocking receive without timeout in the MOOSCommServer::ListenLoop() accept thread during the wire-protocol handshake. An unauthenticated attacker can establish a TCP connection to the MOOSDB port (default 9000) and send no data or incomplete data, causing the accept thread to block indefinitely while holding the socket-list lock. This lock contention prevents the acceptance of all subsequent legitimate client connections, effectively disabling the message broker. The root cause is the absence of a socket read timeout during the initial handshake phase. No fix version is currently indicated in the advisory.

## Affected products

- MOOS core-moos through 10.4.0

## Timeline

- 2026-09-03: disclosed

## References

- [https://github.com/themoos/core-moos](https://github.com/themoos/core-moos)
- [https://github.com/themoos/core-moos/blob/ec9c77c68fcbdef8f5e4c60fe243acd223433f0c/Core/libMOOS/Comms/MOOSCommServer.cpp](https://github.com/themoos/core-moos/blob/ec9c77c68fcbdef8f5e4c60fe243acd223433f0c/Core/libMOOS/Comms/MOOSCommServer.cpp)

## Related threats

- [MOOS core-moos buffer over-read in CMOOSCommPkt deserialization](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85455-moos-core-moos-buffer-over-read-in-cmooscommpkt-deserialization)
- [MOOS core-moos buffer overflow in CMOOSSerialPort](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85454-moos-core-moos-buffer-overflow-in-cmoosserialport)
- [MOOS core-moos DOM-based XSS in HTTP MOOSDB interface](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85453-moos-core-moos-dom-based-xss-in-http-moosdb-interface)
- [MOOS core-moos remote process termination via hardcoded multicast passphrase](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85451-moos-core-moos-remote-process-termination-via-hardcoded-multicast)
- [MOOS core-moos denial of service in MOOSDB HTTP server](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85450-moos-core-moos-denial-of-service-in-moosdb-http-server)