CVE-2026-68078 in Qpid Broker-J
Summary
by MITRE • 08/05/2026
It was not possible to govern the maximum number of transfer frames per incoming delivery, enabling an authenticated attacker to cause excessive resource usage and potential denial of service.
This issue affects Apache Qpid Broker-J: through 10.0.1.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 10.1.0, which fixes the issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/05/2026
The vulnerability in Apache Qpid Broker-J represents a critical resource exhaustion flaw that enables authenticated attackers to manipulate the maximum number of transfer frames per incoming delivery. This weakness falls under the category of improper input validation and resource management, creating potential pathways for denial of service attacks. The flaw exists within the broker's frame handling mechanism where adequate bounds checking fails to govern the permissible quantity of transfer frames that can be processed during a single delivery operation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient parameter validation within the messaging protocol handler. When an authenticated user submits a delivery request with an excessive number of transfer frames, the system lacks proper enforcement mechanisms to limit frame count thresholds. This allows attackers to consume disproportionate system resources including memory allocation, processing cycles, and connection handling capabilities. The absence of robust input sanitization creates an environment where malicious actors can systematically exhaust available resources through carefully crafted requests that exceed normal operational parameters.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to message broker stability and availability. An authenticated attacker can leverage this flaw to consume excessive memory resources and CPU cycles, potentially leading to complete service disruption for legitimate users. The impact extends beyond simple resource exhaustion as the system may become unresponsive or crash entirely when overwhelmed by malformed delivery requests. Network performance degradation affects all connected clients and can cascade through dependent systems relying on the broker's messaging capabilities.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-770, which addresses allocation of resources without limits or throttling mechanisms, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations running affected versions face potential compromise of their messaging infrastructure, particularly in environments where authentication is permissive or where attackers can obtain legitimate credentials through other means. The attack surface expands when considering that authenticated access often requires minimal privileges, making this a relatively accessible vector for resource exhaustion.
Security remediation involves upgrading to Apache Qpid Broker-J version 10.1.0, which implements proper frame counting limits and enhanced validation controls. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual frame count patterns and establish connection rate limiting policies. Additional mitigations include restricting authentication scope, implementing network segmentation, and deploying intrusion detection systems to identify anomalous delivery request patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The upgrade process should include thorough testing to ensure compatibility with existing messaging workflows while addressing the specific resource management limitations that enabled this vulnerability.