# CVE-2021-36154: Uncontrolled Recursion in HTTP2ToRawGRPCServerCodec

> Remote attackers can cause denial of service in gRPC Swift by sending many small messages in a single HTTP/2 frame, triggering stack exhaustion.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Jul 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4rhq-vq24-88gw

## What is CVE-2021-36154?

CVE-2021-36154 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 9 Jul 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

HTTP2ToRawGRPCServerCodec in gRPC Swift 1.1.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to deny service via the delivery of many small messages within a single HTTP/2 frame, leading to Uncontrolled Recursion and stack consumption.

Weakness: CWE-674 (Uncontrolled Recursion)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-36154?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/grpc/grpc-swift. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/grpc/grpc-swift` | SwiftURL | All versions | 1.2.0 |
| `github.com/grpc/grpc-swift` | SwiftURL | All versions | 1.2.0 |

Products: Linuxfoundation Grpc Swift.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-36154?

Upgrade github.com/grpc/grpc-swift to 1.2.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2021-36154 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-36154 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2022-24777](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-24777/): Denial of Service via reachable assertion in grpc-swift (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2021-36153](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-36153/): Incomplete Internal State Distinction in GRPCWebToHTTP2ServerCodec (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2021-36155](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-36155/): Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in LengthPrefixedMessageReader (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-36154 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-36154 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 9 Jul 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-36154 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/grpc/grpc-swift (SwiftURL): affected all versions; fixed in 1.2.0
- github.com/grpc/grpc-swift (SwiftURL): affected all versions; fixed in 1.2.0

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-36154/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-36154/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-36154
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36154
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36154

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-36154/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.