CVE-2026-53423 Unauthenticated denial-of-service via BEAM atom table exhaustion in membrane_mp4_plugin
Unauthenticated attackers can crash the BEAM node by exhausting the atom table via crafted MP4 files in the membrane_mp4_plugin library.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-53423?
CVE-2026-53423 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in membraneframework membrane_mp4_plugin, published on 11 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in membraneframework membrane_mp4_plugin allows unauthenticated denial-of-service via BEAM atom table exhaustion.
The MP4 box header parser converts each 4-byte box name to an atom using String.to_atom/1 without validation. 'Elixir.Membrane.MP4.Container.Header':parse_box_name/1 in lib/membrane_mp4/container/header.ex interns every box name encountered while 'Elixir.Membrane.MP4.Container.Header':parse/1 walks the input. BEAM atoms are never garbage-collected, so each unique attacker-controlled 4-byte name is a permanent allocation. A crafted MP4 of approximately 8 MB containing roughly 1.1 million boxes with distinct non-standard names exhausts the atom table (default ceiling around 1,048,576 atoms), aborting the entire BEAM node and taking down all applications running on it.
This issue affects membrane_mp4_plugin from 0.3.0 before 0.36.7.
Weakness: CWE-770
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53423?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including membrane_mp4_plugin.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
membrane_mp4_plugin Hex | All versions | 0.36.7 |
membrane_mp4_plugin Hex | All versions | 0.36.7 |
membrane_mp4_plugin Hex | From 0.3.0 | 0.36.7 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-53423?
Upgrade membrane_mp4_plugin to 0.36.7 or later.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2026-53423 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-53423 exists.
Sources
Also known as EEF-CVE-2026-53423, GHSA-43hj-fxwj-49qw.