CVE-2026-43967: CWE-407 Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity in absinthe-graphql absinthe
Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity vulnerability in absinthe-graphql absinthe allows unauthenticated denial of service via quadratic fragment-name uniqueness validation. 'Elixir.Absinthe.Phase.Document.Validation.UniqueFragmentNames':run/2 iterates over all fragments and for each one calls duplicate?/2, which evaluates Enum.count(fragments, &(&1.name == name)) — a full linear scan of the fragment list. The result is O(N²) comparisons per document, where N is the number of fragment definitions supplied by the caller. Because input.fragments is built directly from the GraphQL query body, N is fully attacker-controlled. A minimum-size fragment definition is roughly 16 bytes, so a ~1 MB document carries ~60,000 fragments and forces ~3.6 × 10⁹ comparisons inside this single validation phase. No authentication, schema knowledge, or special configuration is required. This issue affects absinthe: from 1.2.0 before 1.10.2.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability in absinthe-graphql absinthe is due to inefficient algorithmic complexity in the UniqueFragmentNames validation phase. Specifically, the function iterates over all fragments and for each fragment counts how many fragments share the same name using a linear scan, resulting in O(N²) complexity where N is the number of fragments. Since the fragments come directly from the GraphQL query body, an attacker can supply a large number of fragments to trigger excessive computation and cause denial of service. This affects absinthe versions from 1.2.0 up to but not including 1.10.2.
Potential Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can cause a denial of service by submitting a specially crafted GraphQL query containing a large number of fragment definitions. This forces the server to perform a quadratic number of comparisons during validation, leading to high CPU usage and potential service disruption. No authentication, schema knowledge, or special configuration is required for exploitation.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Since no official fix or patch link is provided and remediation level is null, users should monitor the vendor's announcements for updates. Until a patch is available, consider limiting the size and complexity of incoming GraphQL queries to mitigate potential denial of service.
CVE-2026-43967: CWE-407 Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity in absinthe-graphql absinthe
Description
Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity vulnerability in absinthe-graphql absinthe allows unauthenticated denial of service via quadratic fragment-name uniqueness validation. 'Elixir.Absinthe.Phase.Document.Validation.UniqueFragmentNames':run/2 iterates over all fragments and for each one calls duplicate?/2, which evaluates Enum.count(fragments, &(&1.name == name)) — a full linear scan of the fragment list. The result is O(N²) comparisons per document, where N is the number of fragment definitions supplied by the caller. Because input.fragments is built directly from the GraphQL query body, N is fully attacker-controlled. A minimum-size fragment definition is roughly 16 bytes, so a ~1 MB document carries ~60,000 fragments and forces ~3.6 × 10⁹ comparisons inside this single validation phase. No authentication, schema knowledge, or special configuration is required. This issue affects absinthe: from 1.2.0 before 1.10.2.
CVSS v4.0
Score 8.7high
Affected software
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability in absinthe-graphql absinthe is due to inefficient algorithmic complexity in the UniqueFragmentNames validation phase. Specifically, the function iterates over all fragments and for each fragment counts how many fragments share the same name using a linear scan, resulting in O(N²) complexity where N is the number of fragments. Since the fragments come directly from the GraphQL query body, an attacker can supply a large number of fragments to trigger excessive computation and cause denial of service. This affects absinthe versions from 1.2.0 up to but not including 1.10.2.
Potential Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can cause a denial of service by submitting a specially crafted GraphQL query containing a large number of fragment definitions. This forces the server to perform a quadratic number of comparisons during validation, leading to high CPU usage and potential service disruption. No authentication, schema knowledge, or special configuration is required for exploitation.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Since no official fix or patch link is provided and remediation level is null, users should monitor the vendor's announcements for updates. Until a patch is available, consider limiting the size and complexity of incoming GraphQL queries to mitigate potential denial of service.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- EEF
- Date Reserved
- 2026-05-04T18:23:25.573Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 69fe0681cbff5d8610f67326
Added to database: 05/08/2026, 15:51:29 UTC
Last enriched: 05/08/2026, 16:06:28 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:59 UTC
Views: 95
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.