CVE-2026-22040 — NanoMQ 0.24.6 Use-After-Free Leading to Heap Corruption and Broker Crash
NanoMQ MQTT Broker (NanoMQ) is an all-around Edge Messaging Platform. In version 0.24.6, by generating a combined traffic pattern of high-frequency publishes and rapid reconnect/kick-out using the same ClientID and massive subscribe/unsubscribe jitter, it is possible to reliably trigger heap memory corruption in the Broker process, causing it to exit immediately with SIGABRT due to free(): invalid pointer. As of time of publication, no known patched versions are available.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+2
- Technical severity (medium)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Emqx Nanomq, Nanomq Nanomq).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (memory corruption), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 1.6 | 3.6 | security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 5.3 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | — | — | GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: security-advisories@github.com) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 0.23%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Correlate service crashes/restarts with inbound traffic; repeated crashes may indicate attempts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · nanomq/nanomq
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 5.3
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
1 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-73863 NanoMQ: Heap-Buffer-Overflow in `nmq_subinfo_decode()` During MQTT v5 SUBSCRIBE Parsing 27d
- Low CVE-2026-61633 NanoMQ: Infinite Loop in UNSUBSCRIBE Decoder Leading to Remote DoS 27d
- Low CVE-2026-44639 NanoMQ: O(N²) Denial of Service in MQTT v5 Property Parsing 27d
- Medium CVE-2026-47276 NULL Pointer Dereference in REST API properties_parse via Malformed user_properties Jul 20, 2026
- Low CVE-2026-47275 nanomq NULL Pointer Dereference in MQTTv5 Client CONNECT Decoder Leading to Remote DoS Jul 20, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-35217 NanoMQ Incorrectly Accepts a Malformed SUBSCRIBE and Can Be Driven into an ASAN-Detectable Out-of-Bounds Read Jul 20, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-22040 is "NanoMQ 0.24.6 Use-After-Free Leading to Heap Corruption and Broker Crash", rated Medium. It affects Nanomq (Emqx); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 5.3 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.23% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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