CVE
Node.js is vulnerable to an HTTP/2 use-after-free via respondWithFile() stream reset during a pending write
Only Node.js 24.0.0 through 24.22.3 and 25.0.0 through 26.13.1 are in scope, and only when an application serves files with stream.respondWithFile() or respondWithFD(). Fixed in 24.22.3 and 26.13.1.
Written by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 from the sources below. Verify against them.
- Exploited
- No known exploitation
- Fix
- Fixed in 24.22.3, 26.13.1
- Who is exposed
- Default setups
Do first: Check every install: default setups are affected.
- Published
- Last modified
- Whether it needs action now or is a reference record, by fixed rules, with why. Last checked is when cve.now last re-read it.What do these mean? →
- Reference
- Last checked
- A 0-100 score for how much a CVE matters across the industry: exploitation, exposure, how widely the software is used, severity and whether a fix exists.What do these mean? →
- 47/100 · provisional
- How many real-world setups can hit the bug, from the vendor's advisory and CISA data. It does not know your setup.What do these mean? →
- Default setups
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
Summary
Node.js is affected by a use-after-free bug in its HTTP/2 code that lets an unauthenticated remote client corrupt server memory over both TLS and cleartext connections. It only applies when the application serves files with respondWithFile() or respondWithFD(), which requires a non-default setup.
Read the original description
A use-after-free in Node.js HTTP/2 lets an unauthenticated client corrupt server memory, over both TLS and cleartext, when the server serves files with respondWithFile() or respondWithFD(). A client can make the server free an Http2Stream while a write request that points to it is still queued on the socket; when that write completes, the code dereferences and makes a virtual call through the freed object. The only precondition is that the application serves a file with stream.respondWithFile() or stream.respondWithFD(), with default settings otherwise. This vulnerability affects Node.js 26.x (since 26.9.0) and 24.x (since 24.22.0).
Who should check
Teams running Node.js 24.x or 26.x HTTP/2 servers that serve files with stream.respondWithFile() or stream.respondWithFD()
Read the source excerpt
“This vulnerability affects all users in active release lines: 24.x, 26.x”
cve.now Index
- Exploitation?/40Unknown. No CISA SSVC exploitation rating yet
- Exposure22/25Default setups, reachable over the network without a login
- Reach17/20Affects Node.js (a widely deployed server, runtime, framework or database)
- Severity7.5/10CVSS 7.5
- No patch0/5No signal
What would change the score
- Would score about 87 if added to CISA KEV
- Would score about 82 if CISA's SSVC rates exploitation active
What to do
Check every install: default setups are affected.
Upgrade to a fixed version: 24.22.3, 26.13.1.
Check your systems with an agent
Paste this into a coding or ops agent. It checks your systems read-only and reports a table per asset.
Check whether my systems are affected by CVE-2026-123874 (Node.js is vulnerable to an HTTP/2 use-after-free via respondWithFile() stream reset during a pending write), using the cve.now data below.
Rules: work read-only. Do not run exploit code, proof-of-concept scripts or scanners that send attack payloads, and do not change any configuration, package, image or deployment. Report findings only.
What cve.now has for CVE-2026-123874 (entry last updated 2026-11-11):
Affected:
- nodejs node: from 24.0.0, fixed in 24.22.3; from 25.0.0, fixed in 26.13.1
Fixed versions: 24.22.3, 26.13.1.
Conditions (all must be true for the bug to be hit):
- The application serves a file with stream.respondWithFile() or stream.respondWithFD() (source: https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/november-2026-security-releases)
- Default settings otherwise (source: https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/november-2026-security-releases)
Setup: the bug is reachable in a default setup; no special feature or setting is needed.
Attacker needs: network access, no login, no user action.
CISA KEV: CVE-2026-123874 is not listed as of cve.now's last read.
This KEV status is for CVE-2026-123874 only. If you also check another CVE, look up its own KEV status; never assume it from this one.
How to check:
- Installed software: check what is actually running, not what a repo declares. Read the version from each host, container image and Kubernetes node (the binary's version output, the OS package database, image layers), and check whether the conditions above hold there. Distribution packages may carry a backported fix under an older version number; confirm against the distribution's own advisory.
Verify against the linked advisories before concluding, and cite the date you read each one:
- https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/november-2026-security-releases
- https://cna.openjsf.org/security-advisories.html
Do not conclude an asset is unaffected unless you checked it and the evidence covers both its version and the conditions above. If you could not check something, mark it unknown and say what is missing.
Report a table with one row per asset and these columns: Asset | Version or build | Status (affected, fixed, not applicable, unknown) | Compensating controls | Exposure (internet-facing, internal, none) | Evidence | Next action.
Entry: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-123874
For follow-up questions, use the cve.now MCP server at https://mcp.cve.now/mcp (no authentication), for example execute with name cve.get and arguments {"id": "CVE-2026-123874"}.Timeline
- CVE published
- First seen by cve.now
- Posted on X by cve.now
Affected versions
- nodejs node
From 24.0.0 · fixed in 24.22.3; From 25.0.0 · fixed in 26.13.1
Evidence 4
Vendor advisory · 1
Establishes: Affected and fixed versions.
- Advisory
CVE record · 2
Establishes: The identifier and description.
- Record
- Record
Other links · 1
- Link
Corrections
None so far.
Something wrong on this page? Report an error. Every fix is listed here.
Questions about CVE-2026-123874
Is CVE-2026-123874 being exploited?
It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cve.now feed data
What does this mean?
A client that has not logged in can corrupt server memory when a stream is reset while a file write is still pending. The result can be a server crash or memory corruption.Source: nodejs.org
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-123874?
node: from 24.0.0 before 24.22.3; from 25.0.0 before 26.13.1.Source: cve.now feed data
Am I affected, and how do I check?
Node.js 24.0.0 up to 24.22.3 and 25.0.0 up to 26.13.1 are in scope, but only when the application serves files with stream.respondWithFile() or stream.respondWithFD() and otherwise uses default settings. To check, run node --version and search the code for those two calls.Source: nodejs.org
How do I fix CVE-2026-123874?
Upgrade to Node.js 24.22.3 or later on the 24 line, or to 26.13.1 or later for versions from 25.0.0 onward.Source: nodejs.org