Critical Security Update for opentelemetry-collector: Denial of Service Vulnerability
Summary
ALSA-2026:76744: Important: opentelemetry-collector security update. Affects opentelemetry-collector versions < 0.158.0-1.el9_8. Fixed in 0.158.0-1.el9_8. How to fix ↓
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Background
The opentelemetry-collector is a crucial component in the OpenTelemetry framework, designed to facilitate the collection, processing, and export of telemetry data. It supports various components and is widely used in cloud-native applications for observability. However, a recent vulnerability has been identified that could potentially allow attackers to exploit the system.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2026-84445, originates from the gRPC-Go library used within the opentelemetry-collector. It allows for a Denial of Service (DoS) attack through malformed RPC requests. This means that an attacker could send specially crafted requests that could overwhelm the service, leading to service interruptions and degraded performance. The implications of this vulnerability are significant, especially for production environments relying on the collector for telemetry data.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
0.158.0-1.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 workaround, you can implement rate limiting on the gRPC endpoints to reduce the impact of potential DoS attacks until the package is updated. This can be configured in your service settings.
Conclusion
In summary, the opentelemetry-collector has a critical vulnerability that could lead to Denial of Service attacks. It is imperative to update to the latest patched version to safeguard your applications. Additionally, utilizing tools like Vulert can help monitor for such vulnerabilities in real-time.
See every vulnerability recorded for opentelemetry-collector →
FAQ
CVE-2026-84445 is a vulnerability in the gRPC-Go library used by the opentelemetry-collector that allows for Denial of Service attacks via malformed RPC requests.
You can use Vulert's playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
Failing to address this vulnerability could lead to service outages, degraded performance, and potential data loss in production environments relying on the opentelemetry-collector.
Yes, a patch is available. You should update to version 0.158.0-1.el9_8 or later of the opentelemetry-collector to mitigate the vulnerability.
Vulert is a service that monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just a manifest file like package-lock.json. It helps ensure your applications remain secure.
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