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PASSEDcache / cpu_exhaustion
Memcached 1.6 CPU 100% — Runaway Query/Process on Rocky Linux 9
Memcached 1.6 is consuming 100% CPU due to a runaway operation. All other requests are starved and timing out.
Pattern
HIGH_CPU
Severity
HIGH
Confidence
68%
Remediation
Auto-Heal
Test Results
| Metric | Expected | Actual | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pattern Recognition | HIGH_CPU | HIGH_CPU | |
| Severity Assessment | HIGH | HIGH | |
| Incident Correlation | N/A | None | |
| Cascade Escalation | N/A | No | |
| Remediation | — | Auto-Heal — Corax resolves autonomously |
Scenario Conditions
Rocky Linux 9. Memcached 1.6 process at 99% CPU. 14-core system. Load average: 106. Running for 331 minutes. Other services affected.
Injected Error Messages (1)
memcached CPU high critical on Rocky Linux 9 — 99% CPU (14 cores), cpu exhaustion from runaway operation, load average 106, all requests starved, 459 users/connections affected
Neural Engine Root Cause Analysis
High CPU utilization detected — the server's processor is at or near capacity, causing degraded application performance, increased response times, and potential service unavailability. Common causes include runaway processes, sudden traffic spikes, inefficient code paths, or crypto-mining malware.
Remediation Plan
1. Identify the top CPU-consuming processes using 'top' or 'htop' on the affected server.
2. Check for runaway or zombie processes and terminate them if safe to do so.
3. Review application logs for tight loops, excessive logging, or unoptimized queries.
4. Scale horizontally or vertically if the load is legitimate.
5. Check for unauthorized processes (crypto miners) if CPU usage is unexplained.
Tested: 2026-04-02Monitors: 1 | Incidents: 1Test ID: cmnhnp84m01wllig7exwlfsi2