Summary
Faraday: Uncontrolled recursion in NestedParamsEncoder allows stack exhaustion DoS via deeply nested query parameters
Faraday::NestedParamsEncoder, the default nested query parameter encoder/decoder in Faraday, decodes nested query strings without enforcing a maximum nesting depth.
A crafted query string such as:
a[x][x][x][x]...[x]=1
causes Faraday to build a deeply nested Ruby Hash structure. The internal dehash routine then recursively walks this attacker-controlled structure without a depth limit. At sufficient depth, Ruby raises an uncaught SystemStackError (stack level too deep), crashing the calling thread or worker. This can lead to denial of service in applications that pass attacker-controlled query strings to Faraday's nested query parsing or URL-building paths.
This has been patched in version 2.14.3 and backported to 1.10.6.
Impact
CVE-2026-54297 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 (2.14.3, 1.10.6); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
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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faraday to 2.14.3 or later; faraday to 1.10.6 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-54297? CVE-2026-54297 is a high-severity security vulnerability in faraday (rubygems), affecting versions >= 2.0.0, <= 2.14.2. It is fixed in 2.14.3, 1.10.6.
- How severe is CVE-2026-54297? CVE-2026-54297 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.
- Which versions of faraday are affected by CVE-2026-54297? faraday (rubygems) versions >= 2.0.0, <= 2.14.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-54297? Yes. CVE-2026-54297 is fixed in 2.14.3, 1.10.6. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-54297 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-54297 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-2026-54297 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-2026-54297?
- Upgrade
faradayto 2.14.3 or later - Upgrade
faradayto 1.10.6 or later
- Upgrade