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Use-after-Free in NGINX ngx_http_v3_module HTTP/3 QPACK Processing

IdentifiersCVE-2026-42530CWE-416

CVE-2026-42530 is a critical use-after-free vulnerability in the NGINX Open Source ngx_http_v3_module. The flaw is reachable when NGINX is configured to use the HTTP/3 QUIC module. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can send a specially crafted HTTP/3 session that reopens a QPACK encoder stream, triggering a use-after-free condition in the NGINX worker process. This results in memory corruption in the worker handling the connection. The issue affects the HTTP/3 processing path in NGINX Open Source, with reported affected versions including 1.31.0 and 1.31.1, and it is fixed in 1.31.2. End-of-Technical-Support versions were not evaluated.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can corrupt memory in the NGINX worker process, causing the worker to restart and producing a denial-of-service condition through service disruption. Under stronger exploit conditions, specifically where ASLR is disabled or can be bypassed, the memory corruption may be leveraged for arbitrary code execution in the context of the NGINX worker process.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, disable HTTP/3/QUIC support in NGINX by removing QUIC-enabled listen directives and otherwise disabling the ngx_http_v3_module exposure. Maintain ASLR and other platform hardening protections enabled to reduce the likelihood of turning the bug into code execution. Restrict exposure of internet-facing vulnerable services until patched.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade NGINX Open Source to a fixed release. The provided content indicates the vulnerability is patched in NGINX Open Source 1.31.2; related stable fixes were also released in 1.30.3. Apply the vendor security update from F5/NGINX and ensure unsupported End-of-Technical-Support versions are replaced with supported releases.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
NginxNginxapplication
NginxNgx Http V3 Moduleapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

18 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity11

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.