Decoded: Small Business Cybersecurity News & Insights

Next.js Server Actions Vulnerability: Denial of Service (DoS)

Published Date: January 5, 2025

Package Affected Versions Patched Versions Severity
📦 next (npm) >= 13.0.0, < 13.5.8 13.5.8 Moderate

Description

Affected Versions:



  • >= 13.0.0, < 13.5.8

  • >= 14.0.0, < 14.2.21

  • >= 15.0.0, < 15.1.2


Patched Versions:

  • 13.5.8

  • 14.2.21

  • 15.1.2





Description


Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted requests to Server Actions. These requests hang indefinitely until the hosting provider cancels them.

While the Next.js server doesn’t consume significant CPU or memory during this time, the connection remains open, preventing it from handling new requests.

Deployments without protections against long-running Server Action invocations are at higher risk. Hosting providers like Vercel or Netlify typically enforce time limits on function execution to avoid excessive billing.

This issue resembles attacks using invalid Content-Length headers or connections that never close. If the hosting environment lacks protections against such scenarios, this vulnerability becomes more significant.

Key Note: Only deployments using Server Actions are affected.

Patches & Workarounds

Recommended Fix


Update Next.js to one of the patched versions:

  • 13.5.8

  • 14.2.21

  • 15.1.2


Run:

npm install next@latest


Or specify the exact version:

npm install next@14.2.21


Additionally:

  • Set reasonable timeout limits on your hosting provider.

  • Monitor long-running requests and enforce cancellation rules.

References

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-56332
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