High severity · published Aug 30, 2026
CVE-2026-81636
Query-complexity limit bypass via first/last pagination arguments in AshGraphql enables denial of service
8.7
CVSS
0.5%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in ash-project ash_graphql allows an unauthenticated client to bypass the configured GraphQL query-complexity limit and force an unbounded database read.
AshGraphql.Graphql.Resolver.query_complexity/3 multiplies child complexity by the requested page size only when the argument map contains :limit (offset pagination). Relay connections and keyset pagination use first and last, which never match that clause and fall through to the catch-all that returns child_complexity + 1. A nested relay query such as posts(first: 500) { edges { node { comments(first: 500) { ... } } } } therefore scores as trivially cheap while materializing the full fan-out, passing an Absinthe max_complexity cap that rejects the equivalent limit-based query. The fix adds first and last clauses clamped to the action's page size.
This issue affects ash_graphql: from 0.16.23 before 1.11.0.
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.5% · higher than 46% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
AS
ash_graphql · ash-project
0.16.23 before 1.11.0; d8a3e1b15587180ad9cb3ceeb398863d086c163b before c3229f6a65cbabb32fd7ffcac881922d1b3b30ad · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-81636
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-81636
cna.erlef.org
https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-81636.html
github.com
https://github.com/ash-project/ash_graphql/commit/c3229f6a65cbabb32fd7ffcac881922d1b3b30ad
github.com
https://github.com/ash-project/ash_graphql/security/advisories/GHSA-mwc4-r9fc-h6mg
osv.dev
https://osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-81636
More from ash_graphql
7.1
CVE-2026-80223
Cross-tenant subscription disclosure in AshGraphql authorizes notifications in memory without a tenant-scoped read
6.9
CVE-2026-78693
Incomplete redaction re-attaches the original error path in AshGraphql, leaking internal field names
6.9
CVE-2026-81633
Unhandled KeyError in AshGraphql relay node resolution crashes queries via an unknown type segment
2.3
CVE-2026-81643
Broken access control in AshGraphql subscription batcher applies authorization suppression to only the first notification
2.3
CVE-2026-82367
Re-entrant synchronous publish in AshGraphql subscription batcher delivers one subscriber's records to another's topic
