Deserialization of Untrusted Data and Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerabilities in elixir-grpc grpc allow unauthenticated… (CVE-2026-48853)
Description
A vulnerability in elixir-grpc grpc allows unauthenticated attackers to cause denial of service by exhausting the atom table or achieve remote code execution via unsafe deserialization. The issue arises from the use of :erlang.binary_to_term/1 without safe options or size/type checks on gRPC messages with Content-Type: application/grpc+erlpack. This affects grpc versions including 0.10.2-1, 0.11.1-1, 1.3.2-1, 1.16.1-1, 1.30.2-3, and 1.51.1-4 among others. The vulnerability can crash the BEAM node or execute attacker-controlled code if the decoded term is invoked downstream.
CVSS v4.0
Affected software
pkg:deb/ubuntu/grpc?arch=source&distro=xenialpkg:deb/ubuntu/grpc?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/grpc?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/grpc?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/grpc?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/grpc?arch=source&distro=questingpkg:deb/ubuntu/grpc?arch=source&distro=stonkingpkg:deb/ubuntu/grpc?arch=source&distro=resoluteRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The elixir-grpc grpc library's 'Elixir.GRPC.Codec.Erlpack':decode/2 function calls :erlang.binary_to_term/1 on raw gRPC message bodies without using the :safe option, imposing no size limits or type guards. This allows unauthenticated attackers to send crafted payloads that create arbitrary atoms, exhausting the atom table and crashing the BEAM virtual machine, or encode a 'fun' term that can lead to remote code execution if invoked. The vulnerability affects grpc versions from 0.4.0 before 1.0.0 and specific listed versions up to 1.51.1-10ubuntu1. No patch or remediation information is provided in the source data.
Potential Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can crash the BEAM node by exhausting the atom table, causing denial of service. Additionally, if the deserialized term is used in a call site that invokes it, the attacker can achieve remote code execution on the server. This poses a significant risk to availability and confidentiality of the affected grpc servers.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, avoid accepting gRPC messages with Content-Type: application/grpc+erlpack from untrusted sources or implement application-level filtering and validation to prevent unsafe deserialization. Monitor for updates from the grpc maintainers regarding an official fix.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- UBUNTU-CVE-2026-48853
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.7.0
- Ecosystems
- ["Ubuntu:16.04:LTS","Ubuntu:18.04:LTS","Ubuntu:20.04:LTS","Ubuntu:22.04:LTS","Ubuntu:24.04:LTS","Ubuntu:25.10","Ubuntu:26.10","Ubuntu:26.04:LTS"]
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6ad3f61d2cdf04f65666419d
Added to database: 10/17/2026, 22:26:37 UTC
Last enriched: 10/18/2026, 01:05:03 UTC
Last updated: 10/18/2026, 01:05:03 UTC
Views: 2
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