CVE-2026-55213 — h2o: musl libc stack overflow (QPACK)
h2o is an HTTP server with support for HTTP/1.x, HTTP/2 and HTTP/3. Prior to commit edd7a120bfc4af11ac0cbebce2a43cc1f93f9af1, when h2o processes a QPACK instruction sent from the peer over HTTP/3, lib/http3/qpack.c might allocate an on-stack buffer as large as approximately 800 KB by calling alloca, which exceeds the default pthread stack size used by musl libc and causes the h2o server to crash with a segmentation fault while touching the guard page. This issue is fixed in commit edd7a120bfc4af11ac0cbebce2a43cc1f93f9af1.
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
- Technical severity (high)+6
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+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 (H2o H2o).
- 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.
- Search available logs for exploit probes, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 3.6 | security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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.
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).
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · h2o/h2o
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 7.5
- Source status changed · → Awaiting Analysis
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026
References
2 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-54340 h2o has HTTP/2 state amplification Jul 16, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-44452 h2o is vulnerable to heap overrun Jul 16, 2026
- High CVE-2026-44453 h2o is vulnerable to musl libc stack overflow Jul 16, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-8752 h2oai h2o-3 Rapids setproperty Primitive AstSetProperty.java exec access control May 17, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-8751 h2oai h2o-3 JAR Model.java importBinaryModel deserialization May 17, 2026
- High CVE-2026-8750 h2oai h2o-3 ImportFile API PersistNFS.java importFiles information disclosure May 17, 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 FIRST EPSS score.
- 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-2026-55213 is "h2o: musl libc stack overflow (QPACK)", rated High. It affects H2o (H2o); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity. 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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