CVE-2026-85718

AsyncHttpClient: Connection permit leak on TLS handshake failure causes per-host denial of service

Published Sep 17, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 5.9 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
The AsyncHttpClient (AHC) library allows Java applications to easily execute HTTP requests and asynchronously process HTTP responses. From 3.0.8 until 3.0.12, a client with maxConnections or maxConnectionsPerHost set above zero leaks one connection permit whenever TLS connection establishment fails before the handshake completes. NettyConnectListener removes the partitionKeyLock permit from NettyResponseFuture before every failure path is bound to the channel closeFuture, so an abort can leave the permit unreleased. Repeated failures can permanently lock out one host under a per-host limit or drain the shared pool under a global limit, blocking later requests even when no connection remains open. The default unlimited connection setting is not affected. This issue is fixed in version 3.0.12.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories available
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Asynchttpclient Project
Asynchttpclient Project async-http-client
Vendors & Products Asynchttpclient Project
Asynchttpclient Project async-http-client
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description The AsyncHttpClient (AHC) library allows Java applications to easily execute HTTP requests and asynchronously process HTTP responses. From 3.0.8 until 3.0.12, a client with maxConnections or maxConnectionsPerHost set above zero leaks one connection permit whenever TLS connection establishment fails before the handshake completes. NettyConnectListener removes the partitionKeyLock permit from NettyResponseFuture before every failure path is bound to the channel closeFuture, so an abort can leave the permit unreleased. Repeated failures can permanently lock out one host under a per-host limit or drain the shared pool under a global limit, blocking later requests even when no connection remains open. The default unlimited connection setting is not affected. This issue is fixed in version 3.0.12.
Title AsyncHttpClient: Connection permit leak on TLS handshake failure causes per-host denial of service
Weaknesses CWE-400
CWE-772
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.9, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
GitHub_M
Published
Updated
Sep 17, 2026, 4:40 PM
Reserved
Sep 4, 2026, 2:45 PM
Status
Awaiting Analysis
Published
Sep 17, 2026, 4:18 PM
Modified
Sep 30, 2026, 5:43 PM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Sep 17, 2026, 3:58 PM