V3: etcd: `tlsListener.acceptLoop` spawns unbounded handshake goroutines with no deadline
A vulnerability in etcd prior to versions 3.5.33, 3.6.14, and 3.7.1 allows a network attacker to cause unbounded growth of handshake goroutines by opening many TCP connections to the TLS listener and not completing the TLS handshake. This can exhaust memory and cause denial of service, impacting availability of the etcd cluster and dependent systems such as Kubernetes control planes.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
etcd versions before 3.5.33, 3.6.14, and 3.7.1 contain a vulnerability in the tlsListener.acceptLoop function where each incoming TLS connection spawns a goroutine that blocks indefinitely during the TLS handshake if the client never sends a ClientHello message. These goroutines accumulate without limit, tracked in a pending map, leading to unbounded memory consumption and potential denial of service. This flaw allows a remote unauthenticated attacker with network access to the TLS listener to exhaust system resources and disrupt etcd availability. The issue is fixed in versions 3.5.33, 3.6.14, and 3.7.1.
Potential Impact
An unauthenticated remote attacker can cause a denial of service by exhausting memory resources on the etcd server through unbounded goroutine creation during TLS handshakes. This can lead to loss of availability of the etcd cluster and, when etcd is used as the backing store for Kubernetes, disruption of the Kubernetes control plane.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available in etcd versions 3.5.33, 3.6.14, and 3.7.1. Users should upgrade to these or later versions to remediate this vulnerability. No other mitigations are specified.
V3: etcd: `tlsListener.acceptLoop` spawns unbounded handshake goroutines with no deadline
Description
A vulnerability in etcd prior to versions 3.5.33, 3.6.14, and 3.7.1 allows a network attacker to cause unbounded growth of handshake goroutines by opening many TCP connections to the TLS listener and not completing the TLS handshake. This can exhaust memory and cause denial of service, impacting availability of the etcd cluster and dependent systems such as Kubernetes control planes.
CVSS v4.0
Affected software
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
etcd versions before 3.5.33, 3.6.14, and 3.7.1 contain a vulnerability in the tlsListener.acceptLoop function where each incoming TLS connection spawns a goroutine that blocks indefinitely during the TLS handshake if the client never sends a ClientHello message. These goroutines accumulate without limit, tracked in a pending map, leading to unbounded memory consumption and potential denial of service. This flaw allows a remote unauthenticated attacker with network access to the TLS listener to exhaust system resources and disrupt etcd availability. The issue is fixed in versions 3.5.33, 3.6.14, and 3.7.1.
Potential Impact
An unauthenticated remote attacker can cause a denial of service by exhausting memory resources on the etcd server through unbounded goroutine creation during TLS handshakes. This can lead to loss of availability of the etcd cluster and, when etcd is used as the backing store for Kubernetes, disruption of the Kubernetes control plane.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available in etcd versions 3.5.33, 3.6.14, and 3.7.1. Users should upgrade to these or later versions to remediate this vulnerability. No other mitigations are specified.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- GHSA-6vch-q96h-7gc3
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.4.0
- Aliases
- []
- Ecosystems
- ["Go"]
- Database Specific Severity
- HIGH
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
Threat ID: 6a6542179c2644c7f8087d04
Added to database: 07/25/2026, 23:09:11 UTC
Last enriched: 08/18/2026, 13:42:58 UTC
Last updated: 09/07/2026, 15:22:44 UTC
Views: 66
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