Critical Security Update for OpenTelemetry Collector: Denial of Service Vulnerabilities
Summary
ALSA-2026:65117: Important: opentelemetry-collector security update. Affects opentelemetry-collector versions < 0.152.1-2.el9_8. Fixed in 0.152.1-2.el9_8. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
OpenTelemetry Collector is a crucial component in the OpenTelemetry ecosystem, designed to receive, process, and export telemetry data such as traces and metrics. It supports various data formats and protocols, making it a versatile tool for observability in cloud-native applications. However, recent vulnerabilities have been identified that could lead to Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, impacting the reliability and performance of applications utilizing this collector.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerabilities stem from multiple components within the Go programming language libraries used by OpenTelemetry Collector. These include issues with email address parsing, MIME header processing, oversized baggage headers, and XML decoding, among others. Attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities to cause excessive resource consumption, leading to service outages. The vulnerabilities are cataloged under several CVEs, each detailing specific attack vectors and their potential impact on system stability.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
0.152.1-2.el9_8
This is the first release that contains the fix.
sudo dnf update opentelemetry-collectorTip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can limit the input size for email addresses and MIME headers in your application configurations to mitigate the risk of DoS attacks until the update is applied. Additionally, consider implementing rate limiting on your services to reduce the impact of potential exploitation.
Conclusion
The identified vulnerabilities in OpenTelemetry Collector pose significant risks, particularly in terms of Denial of Service attacks. It is crucial for users to update to the latest patched version to safeguard their applications. Implementing workarounds can provide temporary relief, but a full update is the best course of action.
See every vulnerability recorded for opentelemetry-collector →
FAQ
OpenTelemetry Collector is a tool that helps in collecting, processing, and exporting telemetry data for observability in applications.
The vulnerabilities include Denial of Service attacks through email parsing, MIME headers, oversized baggage headers, and XML decoding.
You can use Vulert's playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by these vulnerabilities without needing to sign up.
Implement input size limitations and consider rate limiting on your services as temporary workarounds until you can apply the update.
Detailed information about the vulnerabilities can be found on the respective CVE pages linked in the advisory.
Related vulnerabilities
Recent vulnerabilities recorded for opentelemetry-collector.
