CVE-2026-58181 in Traffic Server
Summary
by MITRE • 07/29/2026
The Apache Traffic Server uri_signing and url_sig plugins can exhaust the stack or crash on attacker input.
This issue affects Apache Traffic Server: from 8.0.0 through 8.1.9, from 9.0.0 through 9.2.14, from 10.0.0 through 10.1.3.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 9.2.15 or 10.1.4, which fix the issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2026
The Apache Traffic Server uri_signing and url_sig plugins present a critical stack overflow vulnerability that can be exploited through crafted attacker input to cause system crashes and potential denial of service conditions. This flaw exists within the handling of URL signature validation mechanisms that are commonly used for content protection and access control in web applications. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Apache Traffic Server across its major release lines, specifically targeting versions from 8.0.0 through 8.1.9, 9.0.0 through 9.2.14, and 10.0.0 through 10.1.3, indicating a prolonged exposure period that could have allowed for widespread exploitation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the uri_signing and url_sig plugin processing logic. When malformed or specially crafted URL parameters are passed to these plugins, the parsing functions fail to properly manage stack memory allocation during recursive or iterative processing operations. This leads to uncontrolled stack growth that eventually results in stack exhaustion and subsequent process termination. The flaw operates at the core of how the software handles URL signature validation, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through normal web traffic patterns without requiring special privileges or authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially enable more sophisticated attack vectors within web application environments. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform denial of service attacks against Apache Traffic Server instances, causing legitimate users to experience service interruptions while potentially gaining insights into the infrastructure configuration through crash information disclosure. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version ranges suggests that organizations maintaining older deployments may be particularly at risk, as the exploitation techniques remain consistent across different software versions and release cycles.
Organizations should immediately implement the recommended remediation measures by upgrading to Apache Traffic Server versions 9.2.15 or 10.1.4, which contain the necessary patches to address the stack overflow conditions in the affected plugins. Security teams should also consider implementing temporary mitigations such as disabling the uri_signing and url_sig plugins if immediate upgrades are not feasible, while monitoring for exploitation attempts through intrusion detection systems. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-772 (Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime) and CWE-129 (Improper Validation of Array Index) categories, reflecting poor resource management and input validation practices that are commonly exploited in web application attacks.
From an attack surface perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1499.004 (Endpoint Denial of Service) and T1566.002 (Phishing with Malicious Attachment), as it can be leveraged to disrupt services through crafted web requests or combined with other attack vectors for broader compromise. The security implications extend to organizations that rely on Apache Traffic Server for content delivery and caching services, where the disruption could cascade into larger service availability issues. Network administrators should also consider implementing rate limiting and input validation at proxy layers to reduce the effectiveness of potential exploitation attempts while waiting for full patch deployment across all affected systems.
The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input sanitization and memory management in web application security infrastructure components. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their Apache Traffic Server deployments to identify all instances that may be running affected versions, while also implementing automated patch management processes to ensure timely remediation of similar issues. The incident highlights the critical need for maintaining current software versions and the potential consequences of extended support periods for vulnerable code bases in enterprise environments where security patches are not immediately applied due to operational constraints or testing requirements.