---
id: "CVE-2026-90797"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-90797"]
title: "Apache CouchDB: unlimited gzip decompression lets remote clients exhaust memory"
severity: "high"
cvss: 7.7
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["couchdb", "database", "package", "self-hosted"]
not_affected_if: ["version-3.5.3-or-later"]
published_at: "2026-10-20T16:17:15+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-23T21:57:20+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-25T03:10:48+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90797", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-23T21:57:20+00:00"}]
---

# Apache CouchDB: unlimited gzip decompression lets remote clients exhaust memory

CouchDB 3.5.2 and below decompresses gzip request bodies without a size limit in its chttpd component. A remote client can send a crafted compressed request to exhaust server memory and cause a denial of service.

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

## How to check

- Run `curl -s http://localhost:5984/` on the CouchDB host and read the `version` field; anything at or below `3.5.2` is affected
- Check whether the node accepts gzip-encoded request bodies from untrusted clients (the sources do not name a specific setting)

## Fix

- Upgrade Apache CouchDB to `3.5.3`

## Timeline

- 2026-10-23T21:57:20+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90797

## From the sources

An unlimited gzip decompression routine in chttpd in Apache CouchDB 3.5.2 and below on all platforms allows any remote client to cause a denial of service via memory exhaustion.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.5.3, which fixes this issue.

---

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