High severity · published Mar 25, 2026
CVE-2026-29785
NATS Server panic via malicious compression on leafnode port
7.5
CVSS
0.7%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
NATS-Server is a High-Performance server for NATS.io, a cloud and edge native messaging system. Prior to versions 2.11.14 and 2.12.5, if the nats-server has the "leafnode" configuration enabled (not default), then anyone who can connect can crash the nats-server by triggering a panic. This happens pre-authentication and requires that compression be enabled (which it is, by default, when leafnodes are used). Versions 2.11.14 and 2.12.5 contain a fix. As a workaround, disable compression on the leafnode port.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.7% · higher than 52% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
NA
nats-server · nats-io
< 2.11.14; >= 2.12.0-RC.1, < 2.12.5 · source: vendor, NVD
MG
Multicluster Global Hub 1.4.5 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
MG
Multicluster Global Hub 1.6.5 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat multicluster global hub 1.5.3 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-29785
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-29785
Mitigation
https://advisories.nats.io/CVE/secnote-2026-04.txt
Patch
https://github.com/nats-io/nats-server/commit/a1488de6f2ba6e666aef0f9cce0016f7f167d6a8
Mitigation
https://github.com/nats-io/nats-server/security/advisories/GHSA-52jh-2xxh-pwh6
access.redhat.com
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:21769
access.redhat.com
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:22347
access.redhat.com
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:23345
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