New Nginx Exploit
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New Nginx exploit is technically deep and actionable for patching, but only tangentially relevant to AI/cloud interests.
CVE-2026-42945 is a heap buffer overflow in Nginx's ngx_http_rewrite_module, introduced in 2008, enabling unauthenticated RCE against servers using rewrite and set directives. The bug arises from a two-pass script engine where the length pass runs on a zeroed sub-engine missing the is_args flag, causing undersized buffers that overflow during the copy pass. Exploitation uses cross-request heap feng shui to corrupt an ngx_pool_t cleanup pointer, redirecting to system() on pool destruction; the vulnerability was autonomously discovered by depthfirst's security analysis system.
Patch Nginx to versions 1.31.0, 1.30.1, or apply vendor patches (R36 P4, R35 P2, R32 P6) and audit any use of rewrite and set directives.
As a senior engineer managing cloud infrastructure, this critical Nginx RCE directly threatens your reverse proxies and load balancers, demanding immediate patching and review of rewrite directive usage.