A flaw was found in iperf3. A remote unauthenticated attacker can exploit a vulnerability in the `JSON_read()` function, which accepts a peer-controlled message length and allocates memory without an upper bound. This allows the attacker to trigger excessive memory consumption, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS) through memory exhaustion, severe slowdown, or termination of the iperf3 service.

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Fixes

Solution

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Workaround

To mitigate this issue, restrict network access to the `iperf3` control port, ensuring it is only reachable by trusted clients. This can be achieved by configuring firewall rules to limit inbound connections to the `iperf3` service. Additionally, consider running the `iperf3` service within environments that enforce process or container memory limits to further contain potential resource exhaustion. Note that authentication alone is insufficient as the memory allocation occurs before authentication checks.

History

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:45:00 +0000


Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A flaw was found in iperf3. A remote unauthenticated attacker can exploit a vulnerability in the `JSON_read()` function, which accepts a peer-controlled message length and allocates memory without an upper bound. This allows the attacker to trigger excessive memory consumption, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS) through memory exhaustion, severe slowdown, or termination of the iperf3 service.
Title Iperf3: unbounded peer-controlled allocation in iperf3 json_read() allows unauthenticated remote memory exhaustion
First Time appeared Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
Weaknesses CWE-789
CPEs cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9
Vendors & Products Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.3, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L'}


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cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: redhat

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-11T10:20:34.420Z

Reserved: 2026-08-05T08:41:54.899Z

Link: CVE-2026-71218

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

No data.

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-08-11T10:30:04Z

Weaknesses