CVE-2026-56288
NULL Pointer Dereference in GNU patch
Description
GNU patch is vulnerable to a NULL pointer dereference when processing a specially crafted unified-diff patch file. Improper handling of consecutive end-of-file newline markers can corrupt internal hunk (single block of changes in diff) data structures, causing the application to pass a NULL pointer to fwrite() during patch processing. An attacker can trigger this condition with a malicious patch file, causing the utility to crash and resulting in a denial of service. This issue has been fixed in the commit e6d6a4e021660679d7fc9150f981d4920f722313
INFO
Published Date :
July 9, 2026, 11:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
July 13, 2026, 2:08 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | MEDIUM | 4bb8329e-dd38-46c1-aafb-9bf32bcb93c6 | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Apply the patch commit e6d6a4e021660679d7fc9150f981d4920f722313.
- Update GNU patch to the latest secure version.
- Ensure patch file integrity before processing.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github
CVE-2026-56288 has a 1 public
PoC/Exploit available at Github.
Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-56288.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://cert.pl/en/posts/2026/07/CVE-2026-56288 | Third Party Advisory |
| https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/patch.git/ | Patch Product |
| https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/patch.git/commit/?id=e6d6a4e021660679d7fc9150f981d4920f722313 | Patch |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-56288 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-56288
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
CVEs, conference materials, research.
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-56288 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-56288 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jul. 13, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:gnu:patch:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (including) 2.8.0 Added Reference Type CERT.PL: https://cert.pl/en/posts/2026/07/CVE-2026-56288 Types: Third Party Advisory Added Reference Type CERT.PL: https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/patch.git/ Types: Patch, Product Added Reference Type CERT.PL: https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/patch.git/commit/?id=e6d6a4e021660679d7fc9150f981d4920f722313 Types: Patch -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jul. 09, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-56288', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-07-09T12:57:28.554596Z'} -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jul. 09, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/patch.git/', 'vendor': 'GNU', 'product': 'patch', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '2.8.0'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] Added Description GNU patch is vulnerable to a NULL pointer dereference when processing a specially crafted unified-diff patch file. Improper handling of consecutive end-of-file newline markers can corrupt internal hunk (single block of changes in diff) data structures, causing the application to pass a NULL pointer to fwrite() during patch processing. An attacker can trigger this condition with a malicious patch file, causing the utility to crash and resulting in a denial of service. This issue has been fixed in the commit e6d6a4e021660679d7fc9150f981d4920f722313 Added CVSS V4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X Added CWE CWE-476 Added Reference https://cert.pl/en/posts/2026/07/CVE-2026-56288 Added Reference https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/patch.git/ Added Reference https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/patch.git/commit/?id=e6d6a4e021660679d7fc9150f981d4920f722313