Description
Issue summary: The QUIC stream reassembly algorithm performance deteriorates
progressively as packets are arriving out of order. The worst case has
a quadratic complexity proportional to the number of stream frames kept in
the buffer for the received stream data.
Impact summary: A remote QUIC peer that completes the handshake can create
a connection-scoped CPU pressure and potentially a Denial of Service using
compliant STREAM frames inside the advertised receive window, with low
attacker bandwidth.
CWE: CWE-407: Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity
Description: OpenSSL manages received QUIC stream fragments using a
doubly-linked list. While it optimizes for append operations (at the end of
the list), it falls back to a head-to-tail linear search for any fragment
that does not immediately follow the current `tail`.
By manipulating the sequence of offsets, an attacker can force the server
to perform O(n^2) operations, consuming excessive CPU time for the
QUIC process.
FIPS impact: no
The FIPS module is not affected as the QUIC implementation is outside of
the OpenSSL FIPS module boundary.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenSSL | OpenSSL | 4.0.0 – < 4.0.3, 3.6.0 – < 3.6.5, 3.5.0 – < 3.5.9, 3.4.0 – < 3.4.8 | 4.0.3 |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | openssl | 3.6.5-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | openssl | 3.5.7-1~deb13u3 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | edk2 +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | edk2 +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | openssl | 3.5.5-1ubuntu3.7 | USN-8861-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | nodejs | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images 1 | openssl +10 | 3.5.9-0.1.hum1 | RHSA-2026:74166, RHSA-2026:74162 |
Rocky Linux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Linux 10 | openssl +3 | 1:3.5.9-1.el10_3 | RLSA-2026:98588 |
| Rocky Linux 9 | openssl +3 | 1:3.5.9-1.el9_9 | RLSA-2026:98484 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | openssl +5 | 1:3.5.8-1.amzn2023.0.3 | ALAS2023-2026-3204 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | openssl | 3.3.7-7 | — |
| Azure Linux 3 | rust +3 | No fix yet | — |
Wolfi
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfi rolling | openssl-4.0 +2 | 4.0.3-r0 | — |
Advisories 7
- RLSA-2026:98588 Moderate: openssl security, bug fix, and enhancement update Rocky Linux Security Advisories · Nov 13, 2026
- RLSA-2026:98484 Moderate: openssl security, bug fix, and enhancement update Rocky Linux Security Advisories · Nov 13, 2026
- WID-SEC-2026-3638 OpenSSL: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- RHSA-2026:74162 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 20, 2026
- RHSA-2026:74166 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 20, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-3204 Important: openssl security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Oct 12, 2026
- USN-8861-1 openssl vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 2, 2026
References
- OpenSSL Advisory vendor-advisory
- 4.0.3 git commit patch
- 3.6.5 git commit patch
- 3.5.9 git commit patch
- 3.4.8 git commit patch