CVE-2026-49839
Description
A flaw was found in jq, a command-line JSON processor. This vulnerability allows an attacker to trigger a heap out-of-bounds write by providing a specially crafted, oversized file to the jq --rawfile option. This can lead to a denial of service (DoS), making the affected system or application unavailable, and may also impact data integrity. Exploitation requires user interaction, as a user must process the malicious file.
Statement
A flaw was found in jq, a command-line JSON processor. When using the --rawfile option to process an oversized file, jq can trigger a heap out-of-bounds write in assertion-disabled builds (typical for release builds). Exploitation requires a local user to explicitly process an attacker-controlled file. With assertions enabled, the process aborts instead of corrupting memory.
Mitigation
Avoid using `jq --rawfile` with untrusted or user-controlled files.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.6 | N/A | 7.1 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Write operations could cause memory corruption. In some cases, an adversary can modify control data such as return addresses in order to execute unexpected code.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
Attempting to access out-of-range, invalid, or unauthorized memory could cause the product to crash.
Other
Technical Impact: Unexpected State
Subsequent write operations can produce undefined or unexpected results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not sure what something means? Check out our Security Glossary.
Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.
