CVE-2026-54270CWE-770

protobufjs: Memory amplification from preserved unknown fields in binary decode

Medium · published June 22, 2026

CVSS v3.1
5.3
EPSS
0%
Percentile
33.3
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

protobufjs compiles protobuf definitions into JavaScript (JS) functions. From 8.2.0 to 8.4.2, protobufjs preserved unknown wire elements in message.$unknowns and did not provide a decode-time option to discard unknown fields before retaining them. A crafted protobuf payload containing many unknown fields could therefore cause a decoded message to retain substantially more memory than the input size would suggest, even when unknown-field round-tripping is not needed. protobufjs 8.5.0 added the relevant decode-time options, allowing applications that decode untrusted protobuf data to disable unknown-field retention during decode. protobufjs 8.6.2 flips the default so unknown fields are discarded unless explicitly opted into.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
5.3 · MEDIUM
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00402 · 33.3th percentile
Weakness
CWE-770 · Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
Published
2026-06-22T16:19Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 22 JUN 16:19Z
    protobufjs: Memory amplification from preserved unknown fields in binary decode
    cvelistv5