Summary
CVE-2026-56848 is a heap use-after-free vulnerability in the HTTP/2 implementation of Node.js, disclosed in the July 29, 2026 Node.js security releases. It affects all active release lines (26.x, 24.x, and 22.x) and is rated HIGH severity (CVSS 7.5). A remote, unauthenticated attacker can exploit it to corrupt memory and crash the server, resulting in denial of service.
Technical details
- Root cause: A re-entrancy flaw in Node.js HTTP/2 handling allows
nghttp2_session_mem_send()to be called re-entrantly whilenghttp2_session_mem_recv()is still executing, producing a heap use-after-free (CWE-416). - Trigger conditions: Applies to servers with HTTP/2 enabled; the condition is reached when the underlying nghttp2 library is triggered to send data while it is still processing received data.
- Attack vector: Network — remotely reachable, requires no privileges and no user interaction.
- Impact: Memory corruption leading to process crash and denial of service; code execution cannot be excluded in worst-case scenarios.
Affected software
- Node.js 26.x up to and including 26.5.0
- Node.js 24.x up to and including 24.18.0
- Node.js 22.x up to and including 22.23.1
Severity
- CVSS base score: 7.5 (HIGH)
- Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Mitigation and recommended actions
- Immediate: Upgrade to a patched release for your line — Node.js 26.5.1, 24.18.1, or 22.23.2. Users on End-of-Life versions should migrate to a supported release.
- If no patch can be applied yet: Disable HTTP/2 where it is not required, or restrict/terminate HTTP/2 upstream of the Node.js process (for example, at a proxy or load balancer) to reduce exposure until patching.
How IONIX identifies potentially affected assets
IONIX matches the following signals against data already collected when it crawled the asset; identifying the technology sends no request beyond that crawl.
Serverresponse header:fastifyX-Powered-Byresponse header:Express,fastify

