---
id: "CVE-2026-116540"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-116540"]
title: "netty-tcnative: use-after-free in TLS session ticket key rotation"
severity: "high"
cvss: 8.2
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["java", "netty", "package", "self-hosted", "tls"]
not_affected_if: ["jdk-ssl-provider"]
published_at: "2026-10-26T16:17:19+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-26T16:31:01+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-26T16:32:47+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-116540", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-26T16:31:01+00:00"}]
---

# netty-tcnative: use-after-free in TLS session ticket key rotation

netty-tcnative builds against OpenSSL 3.x can free session ticket keys while a TLS handshake is still reading them. Remote clients can crash the service or corrupt TLS ticket processing.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- Check the netty-tcnative version in the dependency tree (for example `mvn dependency:tree | grep tcnative` or `gradle dependencies | grep tcnative`) and see whether it is `2.0.66.Final` or later but before `2.0.84.Final`.
- Check whether the service uses session tickets with OpenSSL-backed Netty SSL (for example a `SslProvider.OPENSSL` setup with session ticket keys set).

## Fix

- Upgrade netty-tcnative to `2.0.84.Final` or later.
- Rebuild and redeploy the service after the dependency change.

## Timeline

- 2026-10-26T16:31:01+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-116540

## From the sources

netty-tcnative 2.0.66.Final before 2.0.84.Final built against OpenSSL 3.x contains a use-after-free vulnerability in ssl_tlsext_ticket_key_cb during session ticket key rotation. Remote clients performing TLS handshakes while setSessionTicketKeys0 frees the shared key array cause OpenSSL to read freed HMAC keys, crashing or corrupting ticket processing.

---

_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_