CVE-2026-22260 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-674 (Uncontrolled Recursion) affecting Suricata, an open-source network intrusion detection and prevention system widely deployed for network security monitoring. The vulnerability exists in Suricata versions from 8.0.0 up to but not including 8.0.3, where certain processing logic leads to uncontrolled recursion during packet inspection or protocol analysis. This recursion causes a stack overflow, resulting in a crash of the Suricata process and thus denial of service (DoS). The flaw can be triggered remotely without requiring authentication or user interaction, making it accessible to attackers who can send crafted network traffic to the monitored network segments. The vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity but severely impacts availability by crashing the IDS/IPS engine, potentially blinding network defenses. The issue was addressed in Suricata version 8.0.3, which includes fixes to prevent the uncontrolled recursion. As a workaround prior to patching, users can revert the configuration parameters 'request-body-limit' and 'response-body-limit' to their default values, which limits the conditions that trigger the recursion. No known exploits are currently observed in the wild, but the ease of triggering the crash and the critical role of Suricata in network defense make this a high-risk vulnerability. Organizations using Suricata in production environments should prioritize upgrading to 8.0.3 or applying the workaround to maintain network monitoring availability.

The primary impact of CVE-2026-22260 is denial of service due to Suricata crashing from a stack overflow caused by uncontrolled recursion. For European organizations, this can result in temporary loss of network intrusion detection and prevention capabilities, increasing exposure to undetected cyber threats. Critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, finance, telecommunications, and government agencies that rely on Suricata for real-time network security monitoring are particularly vulnerable. A successful exploitation could disrupt security operations centers (SOCs) and delay incident detection and response, potentially allowing attackers to operate undetected. Since Suricata is often deployed at network perimeters or key monitoring points, its failure could degrade overall network security posture. The lack of confidentiality or integrity impact means data leakage or tampering is not a direct concern, but the availability impact alone is significant for maintaining continuous security monitoring.

1. Upgrade Suricata installations immediately to version 8.0.3 or later, where the vulnerability is patched. 2. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, revert the 'request-body-limit' and 'response-body-limit' configuration parameters to their default values to mitigate the uncontrolled recursion trigger. 3. Monitor Suricata logs and system stability closely for signs of crashes or abnormal behavior indicative of attempted exploitation. 4. Implement network-level filtering to restrict potentially malicious or malformed traffic that could trigger the recursion, especially from untrusted external sources. 5. Incorporate redundancy in IDS/IPS deployments to ensure continuous monitoring even if one instance crashes. 6. Regularly review and update IDS/IPS rules and configurations to minimize exposure to malformed packets. 7. Educate SOC personnel about this vulnerability and ensure incident response plans include procedures for Suricata service disruptions.