RUSTSEC-2026-0229
NIP-98 authorization parsing permits resource exhaustion
The NIP-98 HTTP authorization parser Base64-decoded the complete authorization value and parsed the resulting JSON event without applying an application-level size limit. Both operations occurred before the event's signature and authorization fields could be validated.
An unauthenticated remote client could send an oversized Authorization: Nostr
header to a server using this parser. Each request caused memory allocation and
decoding and JSON parsing work proportional to the supplied value, allowing repeated
requests to consume server memory and CPU. The impact depends on any lower HTTP header
limit already enforced by the hosting server. The issue does not bypass NIP-98
authentication or disclose protected data.
The parser now rejects oversized encoded input before Base64 allocation and rejects decoded authorization events larger than 64 KiB before JSON parsing.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
What each source reports
OSV Score used
NIP-98 authorization parsing permits resource exhaustion
The NIP-98 HTTP authorization parser Base64-decoded the complete authorization value and parsed the resulting JSON event without applying an application-level size limit. Both operations occurred before the event's signature and authorization fields could be validated.
An unauthenticated remote client could send an oversized Authorization: Nostr
header to a server using this parser. Each request caused memory allocation and
decoding and JSON parsing work proportional to the supplied value, allowing repeated
requests to consume server memory and CPU. The impact depends on any lower HTTP header
limit already enforced by the hosting server. The issue does not bypass NIP-98
authentication or disclose protected data.
The parser now rejects oversized encoded input before Base64 allocation and rejects decoded authorization events larger than 64 KiB before JSON parsing.
- Record
RUSTSEC-2026-0229- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
nostrcrates.io |
0.0.0-0 up to 0.44.7 | 0.44.7 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
RUSTSEC-2026-0229 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in nostr, published August 1, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. Fixed in nostr 0.44.7.