SEPTEMBER 7, 2026
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Case File

CVE-2026-16318

MEDIUM · CVSS 5.3 EPSS 0.39% Public Exploit

Source: NVD + CISA KEV + EPSS · Published 2026-07-21 · Last synced 2026-08-20

CyberRota Analysis

AI-Generated

The vulnerability in the QUIC transport parameters extension handler of s2n-tls allows for memory leaks during TLS 1.3 connections, particularly when handling HelloRetryRequests. This issue can lead to increased memory consumption on server-side QUIC-enabled deployments, potentially impacting performance over time. Organizations utilizing QUIC in their server infrastructure should prioritize upgrading to s2n-tls version v1.7.6 to mitigate this risk.

Public Exploit Signal

A public exploit, PoC, GitHub repository or Metasploit reference was detected for this CVE.

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CVE
CVE-2026-16318
Severity
MEDIUM
CVSS
5.3
EPSS
0.39%

Original NVD Description

The QUIC transport parameters extension handler in s2n-tls incorrectly uses s2n_alloc instead of s2n_realloc to store the peer's transport parameters. When a TLS 1.3 connection goes through a HelloRetryRequest, the handler is called twice on the same connection. On the second call, s2n_alloc zeroes the existing pointer before allocating new memory, causing the first allocation to be leaked. This can occur during normal QUIC traffic when a client offers a key share group the server does not prefer. An unauthenticated user can amplify the issue by deliberately forcing HelloRetryRequests, causing up to approximately 64 KB of unreachable memory per handshake. Over time, this can lead to increased memory consumption on long-running server processes. The unreachable memory is only reclaimed when the process is restarted. Only server-side QUIC-enabled deployments are affected. Non-QUIC TLS connections are not affected. We recommend you upgrade s2n-tls to version v1.7.6