CVE-2026-45752: Suricata detect/transform: use-after-free in decompress transforms
Suricata is a network Intrusion Detection System, Intrusion Prevention System and Network Security Monitoring engine. Starting in version 8.0.0 and prior to version 8.0.5, when certain detection transforms are chained, the decompress transform pipeline could read from an inspection buffer after it had been reallocated and freed. The issue is reached during network traffic processing, but requires a malicious rule as Suricata will crash whatever the traffic. Version 8.0.5 contains a fix. As a workaround, avoid rules that chain gunzip or zlibdeflate with max-size bigger than 4096 after another transform.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
Suricatato a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 8.0.5 - Compensating control
As a workaround, avoid rules that chain `gunzip` or `zlib_deflate` with `max-size` larger than 4096 after another transform, because in Suricata 8.0.0 (and prior to 8.0.5) chaining certain detection transforms could trigger a use-after-free in the decompress transform pipeline.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which deployments are affected?
Suricata versions starting with 8.0.0 and before 8.0.5 are affected. The vulnerable code is exercised during network traffic processing.
What does an attacker need to trigger the crash?
Exploitation requires a malicious Suricata rule that chains detection transforms in the affected pattern. Traffic alone is not sufficient; the vulnerable rule causes Suricata to crash when processing traffic.
Are standard rules or default configurations known to be affected?
The available information does not identify any default rule set or configuration as affected. Risk depends on whether deployed rules use the vulnerable transform chain.
What can be done before upgrading?
Avoid rules that chain gunzip or zlib_deflate with a max-size greater than 4096 after another transform. Upgrade to Suricata 8.0.5 when possible.
How can I identify potentially vulnerable rules?
Review detection rules for a gunzip or zlib_deflate transform that follows another transform and specifies max-size above 4096. Those rules match the documented workaround condition.