CVE-2026-15176

critical

Description

A vulnerability exists in NGINX Plus and NGINX Open Source when a location is configured that uses the alias directive together with rewrite and a set or return directive referencing the $request_filename variable. Alternatively, the same result could be achieved when the $request_filename variable is used in an access log format directive. An unauthenticated attacker along with conditions beyond their control can exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests. This may cause a heap buffer overflow in the NGINX worker process leading to a restart. Additionally, attackers can execute code on systems with Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) disabled or when the attacker can bypass ASLR. Impact: This vulnerability may allow remote attackers to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) on the NGINX system or to possibly trigger a code execution. There is no control plane exposure; this is a data plane issue only. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

References

Details

Source: Mitre, NVD

Published: 2026-10-14

Updated: 2026-10-15

Named Vulnerability: GHSA-cvv4-j4mx-w8q5

Risk Information

CVSS v2

Base Score: 7.6

Vector: CVSS2#AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Severity: High

CVSS v3

Base Score: 8.1

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Severity: High

CVSS v4

Base Score: 9.2

Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Severity: Critical

EPSS

EPSS: 0.00845

Vulnerability Watch

Tenable Research has classified this CVE under the following Vulnerability Watch classification, which includes active and historical (inactive) classifications. You can learn more about these classifications on our blog.

Vulnerability Being Monitored