High · published March 13, 2026
ImpactThe undici WebSocket client is vulnerable to a denial-of-service attack due to improper validation of the server_max_window_bits parameter in the permessage-deflate extension. When a WebSocket client connects to a server, it automatically advertises support for permessage-deflate compression. A malicious server can respond with an out-of-range server_max_window_bits value (outside zlib's valid range of 8-15). When the server subsequently sends a compressed frame, the client attempts to create a zlib InflateRaw instance with the invalid windowBits value, causing a synchronous RangeError exception that is not caught, resulting in immediate process termination.
The vulnerability exists because:
* The isValidClientWindowBits() function only validates that the value contains ASCII digits, not that it falls within the valid range 8-15
* The createInflateRaw() call is not wrapped in a try-catch block
* The resulting exception propagates up through the call stack and crashes the Node.js process
| Product | Versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| nodejs/undici | < 6.24.0 | 6.24.0 |
| nodejs/undici | ≥ 7.0.0, < 7.24.0 | 7.24.0 |