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.