Net::IMAP implements Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) client functionality in Ruby. Prior to versions 0.4.24, 0.5.14, and 0.6.4, Net::IMAP::ResponseReader has quadratic time complexity when reading large responses containing many string literals. A hostile server can send responses which are crafted to exhaust the client's CPU for a denial of service attack. This issue has been patched in versions 0.4.24, 0.5.14, and 0.6.4.
CVE-2026-42245
This high-severity CVE scores 7.5 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 0.4%, top 67% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 7.5
- EG Score
- 7.5(medium)
- EPSS
- 33.0%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
May 9, 2026
Last Modified
May 18, 2026
Advisory Details (7)
Auto-updated May 18, 2026Quadratic complexity when reading response literals · Advisory · ruby/net-imap · GitHub
https://github.com/ruby/net-imap/security/advisories/GHSA-q2mw-fvj9-vvcwRelease v0.5.14 · ruby/net-imap · GitHub
https://github.com/ruby/net-imap/releases/tag/v0.5.14Release v0.4.24 · ruby/net-imap · GitHub
https://github.com/ruby/net-imap/releases/tag/v0.4.24🔀 Merge pull request #642 from ruby/response_reader-performance · ruby/net-imap@de685f9 · GitHub
https://github.com/ruby/net-imap/commit/de685f91a4a4cc75eb80da898c2bf8af08d34819🔀 Merge pull request #651 from ruby/backport/v0.4/response_reader-non… · ruby/net-imap@88d9523 · GitHub
https://github.com/ruby/net-imap/commit/88d95231fc8afef11c1f074453f7d75b68c9dfda🔀 Merge pull request #650 from ruby/backport/v0.5/response_reader-non… · ruby/net-imap@6091f7d · GitHub
https://github.com/ruby/net-imap/commit/6091f7d6b1f3514cafbfe39c76f2b5d73de3ca96Vendor Advisories for CVE-2026-42245(11)
These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.
- RHSA-2026:37238Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby:3.3 security update
- RHSA-2026:36099Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby:3.3 security update
- RHSA-2026:35895Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby security update
- RHSA-2026:33721Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs Security Update
- RHSA-2026:33577Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby:4.0 security update
- RHSA-2026:33576Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby:3.3 security update
- RHSA-2026:33515Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby:3.3 security update
- RHSA-2026:33565Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: ruby security update
- +3 more
Affected Packages
(1 across 1 ecosystem)
RubyGems(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| net-imap | 0.1.0 ... 0.4.9.1 (45 versions) | 0.4.24 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 9× in last 7d / 46× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
Showing the most recent 100 of 108 total refreshes for this CVE.
- 2026-07-11 08:27 UTCEPSS rescore
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Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2026-42245?
When was CVE-2026-42245 disclosed?
Is CVE-2026-42245 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-42245?
How do I remediate CVE-2026-42245?
Dependency Blast Radius
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