CVE-2026-111181

body-parser vulnerable to Denial of Service via trailing bytes after a compressed request body

Workarounds

Pass inflate: false to the body-parser middleware if the application does not need to accept compressed request bodies. This rejects encoded requests before any decompression stream is created.

A single request can crash any application using body-parser with default options. When a request carries a Content-Encoding (for example gzip), body-parser pipes it into a decompression stream and, after reading the body, leaves that stream piped with no error listener. A payload of one valid compressed frame followed by trailing bytes decodes and the application responds normally, but the trailing bytes then reach the already-finished decoder, which emits an error that is re-thrown as an uncaught exception and terminates the process. No authentication or matching route is required, since parsing runs before routing.

CVE-2026-111181 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.4.0, 1.20.9); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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Fixed in body-parser 2.4.0 and 1.20.9. Upgrade to one of these versions.

1. What is CVE-2026-111181? CVE-2026-111181 is a high-severity security vulnerability in body-parser (npm), affecting versions >= 2.0.0, < 2.4.0. It is fixed in 2.4.0, 1.20.9.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-111181? CVE-2026-111181 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of body-parser are affected by CVE-2026-111181? body-parser (npm) versions >= 2.0.0, < 2.4.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-111181? Yes. CVE-2026-111181 is fixed in 2.4.0, 1.20.9. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-111181 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-111181 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-111181 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-111181?
   • Upgrade body-parser to 2.4.0 or later
   • Upgrade body-parser to 1.20.9 or later

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