● Low · CVSS 2

How to Fix CVE-2026-21619: Denial of service via resource consumption in hex_core

Q: What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-21619?

2 (Low). Vector: `CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`.

Q: Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-21619?

The vendor advisory is at [https://github.com/hexpm/hex_core/security/advisories/GHSA-hx9w-f2w9-9g96](https://github.com/hexpm/hex_core/security/advisories/GHSA-hx9w-f2w9-9g96). The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-21619.

By Sai Kiran Pandrala. Last verified: 2026-05-25.

CVE-2026-21619 is a denial of service via resource consumption in hexpm hex_core. The fix is to apply the vendor patch noted below.

⚡ At a glance


Severity	2 (Low)
Actively exploited?	No public listing in CISA KEV
Affected	hex_core eb327f8edfe45507351e38cc0805aa12fa647f0b to <cdf726095bca85ad2549d146df1e831ae93c2b13; hex_core 0.1.0 to <0.12.1; hex 314546ac432229518714cc8e3336e916b9da6305 to <636739f3322514e9303ca335fb630696fcbb3c95; hex 2.3.0 to <2.3.2; rebar3 209c02ec57c2cc3207ee0174c3af3675b8dc8f79 to <1d4478f527e373de0b225951e53115450e0d9b9d; rebar3 3.9.1 to <3.27.0
Fixed in	See vendor advisory
Type (CWE)	CWE-400 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

What is CVE-2026-21619?

Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in hexpm hex_core (hex_api modules), hexpm hex (mix_hex_api modules), erlang rebar3 (r3_hex_api modules) allows Object Injection, Excessive Allocation. This vulnerability is associated with program files src/hex_api.erl, src/mix_hex_api.erl, apps/rebar/src/vendored/r3_hex_api.erl and program routines hex_core:request/4, mix_hex_api:request/4, r3_hex_api:request/4.

This issue affects hex_core: from 0.1.0 before 0.12.1; hex: from 2.3.0 before 2.3.2; rebar3: from 3.9.1 before 3.27.0. The CVSS base score is 2 (Low). The official advisory is at https://github.com/hexpm/hex_core/security/advisories/GHSA-hx9w-f2w9-9g96.

Am I affected?

Check the version of hex_core you are running and compare it against the Affected row above (hex_core eb327f8edfe45507351e38cc0805aa12fa647f0b to <cdf726095bca85ad2549d146df1e831ae93c2b13; hex_core 0.1.0 to <0.12.1; hex 314546ac432229518714cc8e3336e916b9da6305 to <636739f3322514e9303ca335fb630696fcbb3c95; hex 2.3.0 to <2.3.2; rebar3 209c02ec57c2cc3207ee0174c3af3675b8dc8f79 to <1d4478f527e373de0b225951e53115450e0d9b9d; rebar3 3.9.1 to <3.27.0). If your build sits inside the affected range, you must patch.

Run the version check that fits your platform:


# Linux package check
dpkg -s hex-core 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q hex-core 2>/dev/null
command -v hex-core >/dev/null && hex-core --version 2>/dev/null


# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-Package -Name "*hex_core*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Name, Version
winget list --name "hex_core" 2>$null

How to fix CVE-2026-21619

Upgrade hex_core to a patched build: See vendor advisory. The vendor advisory is the source of truth for the exact fixed version.

Ubuntu / Debian


sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade hex-core
dpkg -s hex-core | grep -i ^Version

RHEL / CentOS / Rocky / AlmaLinux


sudo dnf upgrade --refresh hex-core -y
# or for older releases:
sudo yum update hex-core -y
rpm -q hex-core

SUSE / openSUSE


sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update hex-core
rpm -q hex-core

Node.js / npm


# Update the affected package in your project
npm install hex_core@latest
npm ls hex_core
npm audit fix

Complete PowerShell remediation script (Windows)


# Fix script for CVE-2026-21619 affecting hex_core
# Run as administrator. Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
$LogPath  = "C:\Logs\CVE-2026-21619-fix-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmmss).log"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force (Split-Path $LogPath) | Out-Null
Start-Transcript -Path $LogPath -Append

try {
    Write-Host "[1/4] Detect installed version"
    $pkg = Get-Package -Name "*hex_core*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($pkg) { $pkg | Format-Table Name, Version }
    else { Write-Host "Not detected via Get-Package; try winget list" }

    Write-Host "[2/4] Backup configuration"
    $backup = "C:\Backup\hex-core-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd)"
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $backup | Out-Null
    Get-ChildItem "C:\ProgramData\hex_core" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
        Copy-Item -Destination $backup -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    Write-Host "[3/4] Apply the upgrade to See vendor advisory"
    winget upgrade --name "hex_core" --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
        # Fallback: pull latest via OS update channel
        Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
        Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -IgnoreReboot
    }

    Write-Host "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
    winget list --name "hex_core"
    Write-Host "Patch applied. Reboot if prompted."
    exit 0
} catch {
    Write-Error "Patch failed: $_"
    exit 1
} finally {
    Stop-Transcript
}

Complete Bash remediation script (Linux)


#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Fix script for CVE-2026-21619 affecting hex_core
# Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

set -euo pipefail
LOG="/var/log/cve-2026-21619-fix-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).log"
exec > >(tee -a "$LOG") 2>&1

echo "[1/4] Detect installed version"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s hex-core 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version || echo "hex-core not installed via dpkg"
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q hex-core || echo "hex-core not installed via rpm"
fi

echo "[2/4] Backup configuration"
BACKUP="/root/backup-cve-2026-21619-$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP"
for d in /etc/hex-core /etc/hex-core.d /etc/hex-core.conf; do
    [ -e "$d" ] && cp -a "$d" "$BACKUP/" || true
done

echo "[3/4] Apply the upgrade (target: See vendor advisory)"
if command -v apt-get >/dev/null; then
    apt-get update
    apt-get install --only-upgrade -y hex-core
elif command -v dnf >/dev/null; then
    dnf upgrade --refresh -y hex-core
elif command -v yum >/dev/null; then
    yum update -y hex-core
elif command -v zypper >/dev/null; then
    zypper --non-interactive update hex-core
fi

echo "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s hex-core 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q hex-core
fi
echo "Done. Restart any service that loaded the old library."

If you can't patch immediately

Apply at least one of the following inline controls until you can deploy the patched build. None replace the upgrade.

Restrict exposure with nftables (Linux)


# Allow only trusted CIDR to reach the affected service ports
sudo nft add table inet filter 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add chain inet filter input { type filter hook input priority 0 ; }' 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add rule inet filter input tcp dport {80, 443} ip saddr != 10.0.0.0/8 drop'
sudo nft list ruleset

Block at the host firewall (Windows)


New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-21619" -Direction Inbound -Action Block -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80,443 -RemoteAddress Any -Enabled True
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-21619"

Disable the affected service (Linux)


sudo systemctl stop hex-core 2>/dev/null || true
sudo systemctl disable hex-core 2>/dev/null || true

If the vendor advisory lists an official workaround, prefer that wording verbatim. If no workaround is published, the only safe remediation is the patch.

How to verify the fix worked

After upgrading, confirm the installed version matches the patched build and that no old library is still loaded by a long-running process.


# Linux
dpkg -s hex-core 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q hex-core 2>/dev/null || true
# Pid map check for old library handles
sudo lsof +c0 2>/dev/null | grep -i "DEL.*lib" || true


# Windows
Get-Package -Name "*hex_core*" | Select-Object Name, Version
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Expected: the reported version is at or above See vendor advisory. Restart the affected service (systemctl restart <service> on Linux, or restart the Windows service) so it loads the patched binary.

Frequently asked questions

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Is CVE-2026-21619 actively exploited?

There is no public confirmation of exploitation in the wild listed in CISA KEV at the time of this writing. Patch anyway. Public exploits commonly follow disclosure within weeks.

Do I need to reboot after patching CVE-2026-21619?

For kernel and OS-level updates, yes. For most userland packages a systemctl restart <service> is enough on Linux, and restarting the Windows service or app on Windows. Any process that loaded the old library keeps using it until restarted.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-21619?

2 (Low). Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N.

Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-21619?

The vendor advisory is at https://github.com/hexpm/hex_core/security/advisories/GHSA-hx9w-f2w9-9g96. The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-21619.

References

Official vendor advisory: https://github.com/hexpm/hex_core/security/advisories/GHSA-hx9w-f2w9-9g96
NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-21619
CISA KEV catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
Additional reference: https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-21619.html
Additional reference: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-21619
Additional reference: https://github.com/hexpm/hex_core/commit/cdf726095bca85ad2549d146df1e831ae93c2b13

*Written by Sai Kiran Pandrala. Assembled from the official vendor advisory, NVD record, and CISA KEV listing on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor's advisory before applying changes in production.*