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Micronaut vulnerable to DoS via crafted form-urlencoded body binding with descending array indices

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published Mar 16, 2026 in micronaut-projects/micronaut-core • Updated Mar 31, 2026

Package

maven io.micronaut:micronaut-json-core (Maven)

Affected versions

>= 4.0.0-M1, < 4.10.16
>= 3.9.0, < 3.10.5
< 3.8.13

Patched versions

4.10.16
3.10.5
3.8.13

Description

In JsonBeanPropertyBinder::expandArrayToThreshold in io.micronaut:micronaut-json-core before Micronaut 4 4.10.16 and in Micronaut 3 before 3.10.5 does not correctly handle descending array index order during form-urlencoded body binding, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (non-terminating loop, CPU exhaustion, and OutOfMemoryError) via crafted indexed form parameters (e.g., authors[1].name followed by authors[0].name).

Example

With such an application

package dosform;

import io.micronaut.http.HttpResponse;
import io.micronaut.http.MediaType;
import io.micronaut.http.annotation.Body;
import io.micronaut.http.annotation.Consumes;
import io.micronaut.http.annotation.Controller;
import io.micronaut.http.annotation.Get;
import io.micronaut.http.annotation.Post;
import io.micronaut.http.annotation.Produces;

import java.net.URI;

@Controller
class HomeController {

    @Produces(MediaType.TEXT_HTML)
    @Get
    String index() {
        return """
                <!DOCTYPE html>
                <html>
                <head>
                <title></title>
                </head>
                <body>
    <form action="/submit" method="post">
      <label for="firstAuthor">Fist Author</label>
      <input id="firstAuthor" name="authors[0].name" type="text"/>

      <label for="secondAuthor">Second Author</label>
      <input id="secondAuthor" name="authors[1].name" type="text"/>
      
      <label for="thirdAuthor">Third Author</label>
      <input id="thirdAuthor" name="authors[2].name" type="text"/>

      <button type="submit">Submit</button>
    </form>
               
                </body>
                </html>
                """;
    }

    @Consumes(MediaType.APPLICATION_FORM_URLENCODED)
    @Post("/submit")
    HttpResponse<?> submit(@Body Book book) {
        return HttpResponse.seeOther(URI.create("/"));
    }
}
package dosform;

import io.micronaut.core.annotation.Introspected;

import java.util.Objects;

@Introspected
public class Author {
    private String name;
    public String getName() { return name; }
    public void setName(String name) { this.name = name; }

    @Override
    public final boolean equals(Object o) {
        if (!(o instanceof Author)) return false;

        Author author = (Author) o;
        return Objects.equals(name, author.name);
    }

    @Override
    public int hashCode() {
        return Objects.hashCode(name);
    }

    @Override
    public String toString() {
        return "Author{" +
                "name='" + name + '\'' +
                '}';
    }
}
package dosform;

import io.micronaut.core.annotation.Introspected;

import java.util.List;
import java.util.Objects;

@Introspected
public class Book {
    private List<Author> authors;
    public List<Author> getAuthors() { return authors; }
    public void setAuthors(List<Author> authors) { this.authors = authors; }

    @Override
    public final boolean equals(Object o) {
        if (!(o instanceof Book)) return false;

        Book book = (Book) o;
        return Objects.equals(authors, book.authors);
    }

    @Override
    public int hashCode() {
        return Objects.hashCode(authors);
    }

    @Override
    public String toString() {
        return "Book{" +
                "authors=" + authors +
                '}';
    }
}

Sending curl -v -X POST 'http://127.0.0.1:8080/submit' -H 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' --data-urlencode 'authors[1].name=RobertGalbraith' --data-urlencode 'authors[0].name=JKRowling' causes sustained CPU usage and unbounded memory growth (eventually OutOfMemoryError).

Patches

For Micronaut 4, the problem has been patched in micronaut-core, dependencies with group id io.micronaut, since 4.10.16.

For Micronaut 3, the problem has been patched since 3.10.5

Users upgrade to the latest version of the framework.

Workarounds

There is no way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading.

References

PR Fix: micronaut-projects/micronaut-core#12410

References

@sdelamo sdelamo published to micronaut-projects/micronaut-core Mar 16, 2026
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Mar 17, 2026
Reviewed Mar 17, 2026
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Mar 20, 2026
Last updated Mar 31, 2026

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector Network
Attack Complexity Low
Attack Requirements Present
Privileges Required None
User interaction None
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality None
Integrity None
Availability High
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality None
Integrity None
Availability None

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector: This metric reflects the context by which vulnerability exploitation is possible. This metric value (and consequently the resulting severity) will be larger the more remote (logically, and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerable system. The assumption is that the number of potential attackers for a vulnerability that could be exploited from across a network is larger than the number of potential attackers that could exploit a vulnerability requiring physical access to a device, and therefore warrants a greater severity.
Attack Complexity: This metric captures measurable actions that must be taken by the attacker to actively evade or circumvent existing built-in security-enhancing conditions in order to obtain a working exploit. These are conditions whose primary purpose is to increase security and/or increase exploit engineering complexity. A vulnerability exploitable without a target-specific variable has a lower complexity than a vulnerability that would require non-trivial customization. This metric is meant to capture security mechanisms utilized by the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: This metric captures the prerequisite deployment and execution conditions or variables of the vulnerable system that enable the attack. These differ from security-enhancing techniques/technologies (ref Attack Complexity) as the primary purpose of these conditions is not to explicitly mitigate attacks, but rather, emerge naturally as a consequence of the deployment and execution of the vulnerable system.
Privileges Required: This metric describes the level of privileges an attacker must possess prior to successfully exploiting the vulnerability. The method by which the attacker obtains privileged credentials prior to the attack (e.g., free trial accounts), is outside the scope of this metric. Generally, self-service provisioned accounts do not constitute a privilege requirement if the attacker can grant themselves privileges as part of the attack.
User interaction: This metric captures the requirement for a human user, other than the attacker, to participate in the successful compromise of the vulnerable system. This metric determines whether the vulnerability can be exploited solely at the will of the attacker, or whether a separate user (or user-initiated process) must participate in some manner.
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the VULNERABLE SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(46th percentile)

Weaknesses

Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop')

The product contains an iteration or loop with an exit condition that cannot be reached, i.e., an infinite loop. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2026-33013

GHSA ID

GHSA-43w5-mmxv-cpvh

Source code

Credits

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