Summary
Angular Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Denial of Service via Numeric URL Matrix Parameters
A denial of service (DoS) vulnerability was identified in @angular/router when Server-Side Rendering (SSR) is enabled on Node.js (V8).
When @angular/router parses incoming request URLs, it extracts path segments, matrix parameters, and child outlets into plain JavaScript objects (Record<string, string>). When matrix parameter names or outlet names are numeric strings (such as /a;990;2522), the V8 JavaScript engine interprets them as array-indexed properties rather than named properties.
Under V8's internal property-storage heuristics, setting numeric keys on an initially empty object causes V8 to allocate a dense array backing store (HOLEY_ELEMENTS) sized to the maximum index rather than falling back to sparse dictionary storage. Specifically, assigning sequential or moderately large numeric keys (like 990 followed by 2522) causes V8 to allocate a contiguous backing store of ~2,522 pointers (~20 KB to 25 KB of heap) for a single 11-byte segment.
Because each segment in a URL path allocates its own independent parameters object, an attacker can craft URLs with repeated numeric matrix parameters to achieve an asymmetric memory amplification factor of approximately ~350x.
Attack Preconditions & Vulnerable Configurations
An application is affected only if all of the following conditions are met:
- SSR Enabled: The application runs in a Server-Side Rendering environment powered by Node.js / V8.
- Direct Router Parsing: User-controlled request URLs are parsed by
@angular/routerduring SSR. - No Reverse-Proxy Semicolon/Segment Filtering: Upstream reverse proxies (Nginx, Cloudflare, ALB) forward URLs containing semicolons (
;) and multiple path segments without stripping or rejecting them.
Exploit Payload Example
An attacker sends concurrent HTTP requests with repeated numeric matrix parameters:
GET /a;990;2522/a;990;2522/a;990;2522/... HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Even with paths under 2 KB, overlapping requests during SSR will rapidly consume the V8 heap until the process crashes.
Workarounds & Mitigations
If you cannot immediately upgrade to a patched version, apply one of the following mitigations at your edge or reverse proxy:
- Block or Sanitize Matrix Parameters at the Reverse Proxy:
Configure your reverse proxy (e.g., Nginx, Cloudflare, or AWS WAF) to reject or strip semicolons (;) in request paths before forwarding requests to the Angular SSR service:# Nginx example: reject requests containing matrix parameters if ($uri ~* ";") { return 400; } - Enforce Strict Path Segment Limits:
Reject requests with excessive path depth (e.g., more than 20–30 segments). - Increase Node.js Old Space:
Increase--max-old-space-size(e.g., to 2048 or 4096 MB) to increase the concurrency threshold required to exhaust memory, though this does not fully eliminate the vulnerability under sustained traffic.
Impact
Successful exploitation allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to exhaust the Node.js old-space heap with modest request volume, terminating the SSR worker with an unrecoverable JavaScript heap out of memory fatal error and causing a Denial of Service.
- High Amplification: A single 11-byte segment (
/a;990;2522) consumes ~20 KB–25 KB of V8 heap. - Low Concurrency Required:
- With 8 KB request paths (~740 segments, within default Nginx 8 KB buffer limits), as few as 12–22 concurrent requests crash a 256 MiB–512 MiB Node.js SSR worker.
- With smaller 1 KB–2 KB request paths (~90–180 segments), a burst of ~50–100 concurrent requests achieves the same heap exhaustion.
- Client-side SPAs Unaffected: Pure client-side Angular applications (Single Page Applications without SSR) are not vulnerable, as local browser memory consumption does not cross a security boundary.
Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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The issue is resolved by updating @angular/router to enforce V8 dictionary elements storage (setUrlDerivedKey) for numeric URL-derived keys (index >= 32). This prevents V8 from allocating oversized contiguous array backing stores while preserving route matching, parameter values, and component input bindings.
22.2.021.2.2420.3.32
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-101896? CVE-2026-101896 is a high-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in @angular/router (npm), affecting versions >= 22.0.0, < 22.2.0. It is fixed in 22.2.0, 21.2.24, 20.3.32. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
- Which versions of @angular/router are affected by CVE-2026-101896? @angular/router (npm) versions >= 22.0.0, < 22.2.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-101896? Yes. CVE-2026-101896 is fixed in 22.2.0, 21.2.24, 20.3.32. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-101896 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-101896 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-101896 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-101896?
- Upgrade
@angular/routerto 22.2.0 or later - Upgrade
@angular/routerto 21.2.24 or later - Upgrade
@angular/routerto 20.3.32 or later
- Upgrade