CVE-2026-7541: Denial of service vulnerability in GitHub Enterprise Server allowed service disruption via unauthenticated API endpoint

Published May 7, 2026
·
Updated

A denial of service vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that allowed an unauthenticated attacker to cause service disruption by sending crafted requests with deeply nested JSON payloads to an unauthenticated API endpoint. The endpoint parsed user-controlled JSON request bodies without size or depth limits, causing excessive CPU and memory consumption. This vulnerability affected all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server prior to 3.21 and was fixed in versions 3.20.2, 3.19.6, 3.18.9, 3.17.15, and 3.16.18. This vulnerability was reported via the GitHub Bug Bounty program.

Affected Software

6 affected components
GitHub GitHub Enterprise Server<3.21
GitHub Enterprise Server<3.16.18
GitHub Enterprise Server>=3.17.0<3.17.15
GitHub Enterprise Server>=3.18.0<3.18.9
GitHub Enterprise Server>=3.19.0<3.19.6
GitHub Enterprise Server>=3.20.0<3.20.2

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3.20.2
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3.19.6
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3.18.9
  4. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3.17.15
  5. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3.16.18

Event History

May 7, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·09:18 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·09:18 PM
DescriptionWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·10:16 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Feb 23, 58334
Event
via FIRST·03:37 AM
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-7541?

CVE-2026-7541 is classified as a denial of service vulnerability that can cause service disruption in GitHub Enterprise Server.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-7541?

To fix CVE-2026-7541, users should upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to the latest version beyond 3.21.

3

Who is affected by CVE-2026-7541?

CVE-2026-7541 affects users of GitHub Enterprise Server versions prior to 3.21.

4

Can CVE-2026-7541 be exploited remotely?

Yes, CVE-2026-7541 can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers via crafted API requests.

5

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-7541?

CVE-2026-7541 is a denial of service vulnerability that impacts the availability of the service.

Company

Resources

Contact

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CVE-2026-7541 - Denial of service vulnerability in GitHub Enterprise Server allowed service disruption via unauthenticated API endpoint - SecAlerts