libp2p: Unvalidated PUT_VALUE records allow unbounded disk exhaustion on DHT server nodes

published 2026-05-19 5 mo ago modified 2026-09-10 1 mo ago also GHSA-32mq-hpph-xfvr , EUVD-2026-36153

cvss: 7.5; version 3.1, CNA
cisa kev: Not listed; not in CISA's catalog
epss: 0.4%; EPSS 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 29%
public exploits: 0; none known

libp2p is a JavaScript Implementation of libp2p networking stack. Prior to version 16.2.6, an unauthenticated remote peer can exhaust the disk storage of any @libp2p/kad-dht node running in server mode by sending an unbounded stream of PUT_VALUE messages whose keys bypass all content validation. No credentials, no prior relationship, and no protocol deviation beyond a crafted key are required. The victim node's datastore fills until the host disk is exhausted, making the node unavailable. This issue has been patched in version 16.2.6.

Patch / fix

fixed in 1

npm @libp2p/kad-dht 16.2.6

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: Proof of concept is public
Automatable: no
Technical impact: partial
Assessed: 4 mo ago (2026-06-11)

Exploit prediction

0.35% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 29% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).

Exploits and checks

github.com https://github.com/libp2p/js-libp2p/security/advisories/GHSA-32mq-hpph-xfvr referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified

CVSS scores

assigned by	version	score	vector
CNA	3.1	7.5	CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
GitHub	3.1	7.5	CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected packages

ecosystem	package	affected	fixed in
npm	@libp2p/kad-dht	<16.2.6	16.2.6

Affected products

libp2p js-libp2p

Classification

Weakness

CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-400 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

References

github.com /libp2p/js-libp2p/security/advisories/GHSA-32mq-hpph-xfvr
exploit, web
nvd.nist.gov /vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45783
advisory
github.com /libp2p/js-libp2p
package

Sources

Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.

Summary