# CVE-2026-45292: opentelemetry-java: Unbounded Memory Allocation in W3C Baggage Propagation

> Attackers can cause denial of service via unbounded memory allocation in OpenTelemetry Java baggage propagation, affecting all services using the library.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 28 May 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** CLEANSTART-2026-EN44130, CLEANSTART-2026-HN10923, CLEANSTART-2026-IX22317, CLEANSTART-2026-NF34256, CLEANSTART-2026-VX30218, CLSA-2026-1792053312, ECHO-25de-9a0b-145a, GHSA-rcgg-9c38-7xpx, RHLW-2026-b13520fac3ab7893, RHLW-2026-c5d9dda1cba52009, ROOT-APP-MAVEN-CVE-2026-45292

## What is CVE-2026-45292?

CVE-2026-45292 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in io.opentelemetry opentelemetry-api, published on 28 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

opentelemetry-java is the Java implementation of the OpenTelemetry API for recording telemetry, and SDK for managing telemetry recorded by the API. Prior to 1.62.0, a vulnerability affects the baggage propagation implementation in opentelemetry-api and opentelemetry-extension-trace-propagators. Parsing oversized baggage causes unbounded memory allocation and CPU consumption. Because baggage is automatically re-injected into every outgoing request, the effect can fan out to downstream services that never received the original malicious request. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.62.0.

Weakness: CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-45292?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-api and io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-extension-trace-propagators.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-api` | Maven | All versions | 1.62.0 |
| `io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-api` | Maven | All versions | 1.62.0 |
| `io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-extension-trace-propagators` | Maven | All versions | 1.62.0 |
| `io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-extension-trace-propagators` | Maven | All versions | 1.62.0 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-45292?

Upgrade io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-api to 1.62.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-45292 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-45292 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-45292 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-45292 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in io.opentelemetry opentelemetry-api, published on 28 May 2026. 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-2026-45292 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-api (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.62.0
- io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-api (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.62.0
- io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-extension-trace-propagators (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.62.0
- io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-extension-trace-propagators (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.62.0

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-2026-45292/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45292/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45292
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45292
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45292

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45292/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.