How severe is CVE-2018-12121?

CVE-2018-12121 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-12121 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 10% (95th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-12121?

CVE-2018-12121 primarily affects Nodejs Node.js. In total, 16 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-12121?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2018-12121 published?

CVE-2018-12121 was published on 2018-11-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-12121

CVE-2018-12121 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nodejs Node.js with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 10% places it in the 95th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-400.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 10% (95th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-400
Affected product: Nodejs Node.js
Published: 2018-11-28
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Node.js: All versions prior to Node.js 6.15.0, 8.14.0, 10.14.0 and 11.3.0: Denial of Service with large HTTP headers: By using a combination of many requests with maximum sized headers (almost 80 KB per connection), and carefully timed completion of the headers, it is possible to cause the HTTP server to abort from heap allocation failure. Attack potential is mitigated by the use of a load balancer or other proxy layer.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-12121?: Node.js: All versions prior to Node.js 6.15.0, 8.14.0, 10.14.0 and 11.3.0: Denial of Service with large HTTP headers: By using a combination of many requests with maximum sized headers (almost 80 KB per connection), and carefully timed completion of the headers, it is possible to cause the HTTP server to abort from heap allocation failure. Attack potential is mitigated by the use of a load balancer or other proxy layer.
How severe is CVE-2018-12121?: CVE-2018-12121 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-12121 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 10% (95th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-12121?: CVE-2018-12121 primarily affects Nodejs Node.js. In total, 16 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-12121?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2018-12121 published?: CVE-2018-12121 was published on 2018-11-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (16)

cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:8.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:8.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:8.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:8.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:8.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:8.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:8.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:8.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:8.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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