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Next.jsApplication · Vercel

CVE-2026-44577

MEDIUM · 5.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.5.16 / 16.2.5 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Next.js is a React framework for building full-stack web applications. From 10.0.0 to before 15.5.16 and 16.2.5, when self-hosting Next.js with the default image loader, the Image Optimization API fetches local images entirely into memory without enforcing a maximum size limit. An attacker could cause out-of-memory conditions by requesting large local assets from the /_next/image endpoint that match the images.localPatterns configuration (by default, all patterns are allowed). This vulnerability is fixed in 15.5.16 and 16.2.5.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Next.js Image Optimization API when self-hosting with the default image loader fetches local images entirely into memory without enforcing a maximum size limit. An attacker can trigger OOM conditions by requesting large local images via /_next/image endpoint that match the images.localPatterns configuration.

MitigationUpgrade to Next.js 15.5.16 or 16.2.5 or later to patch the memory limit enforcement. Additionally, restrict images.localPatterns to specific known paths rather than allowing all patterns.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Next.jsApplication
Affected:>= 10.0.0, < 15.5.16>= 16.0.0, < 16.2.5

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Next.js version
    Run 'npm list next' or check package.json to find the exact version of Next.js installed
    Affected if Version is >= 10.0.0 and < 15.5.16, OR >= 16.0.0 and < 16.2.5
  2. Verify self-hosted deployment
    Confirm the application is self-hosted (running on your own server/container) rather than deployed on Vercel's platform
    Affected if Application is self-hosted with Next.js in the affected version range
  3. Confirm default image loader is in use
    Check next.config.js/ts for the 'images.loader' setting. If not set or set to 'default', the default image loader is active
    Affected if Using default image loader (loader not explicitly set to 'cloudinary', 'imgix', 'akamai', or custom)
  4. Inspect images.localPatterns configuration
    Examine next.config.js/ts for 'images.localPatterns' array. If not defined, all local image paths are permitted by default
    Affected if images.localPatterns is undefined (allows all paths) or permits broad patterns like ['**/*']
  5. Confirm _next/image endpoint is accessible
    Verify the /_next/image API endpoint is exposed and reachable from the deployed application
    Affected if The image optimization endpoint is accessible and the application uses self-hosted Next.js with affected versions

You are affected if running a self-hosted Next.js instance with an affected version (15.5.16 or earlier, 16.2.5 or earlier) using the default image loader, with no restrictive localPatterns configured.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 15.5.16 / 16.2.5 or later
Fixed in 15.5.1616.2.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Next.js 15.5.16 or 16.2.5 or later to patch the memory limit enforcement. Additionally, restrict images.localPatterns to specific known paths rather than allowing all patterns.

Recommended fix High confidence

15.5.16 (for 15.x) or 16.2.5 (for 16.x)

  1. Check your current Next.js version by running 'npm list next' or reviewing package.json
  2. If using Next.js 15.x, upgrade to 15.5.16 by running: npm install [email protected]
  3. If using Next.js 16.x, upgrade to 16.2.5 by running: npm install [email protected]
  4. Run npm install to resolve updated dependencies
  5. Test the application, specifically the Image Optimization API functionality at /_next/image
  6. Verify no out-of-memory conditions occur when requesting large local images
Caveat Review the release notes between your current version and 15.5.16/16.2.5 for any breaking changes specific to your version jump

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Next.js Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,000
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-44577 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data