5.3
MEDIUM CVSS 4.0
CVE-2026-72854
msgpack-c Integer Overflow in msgpack_unpacker_expand_buffer Causes a False-Success Undersized Reservation
Description

msgpack_unpacker_expand_buffer in src/unpack.c, reached through the public msgpack_unpacker_reserve_buffer API, computes its new buffer size using an unchecked size_t addition of the requested size and the amount already used. The doubling loop guards its own multiplication against overflow, but the addition in the loop condition is unguarded, so a request near SIZE_MAX wraps: the loop condition is already satisfied, the allocation is performed at the small pre-wrap size, and the function returns true. The caller is told the requested capacity was reserved when it was not, so a subsequent write of the requested length overflows the heap buffer. The library's own example/lib_buffer_unpack.c demonstrates the reserve-then-write pattern, and its defensive assert comparing capacity against the request is compiled out under NDEBUG. msgpack-c's own decode entry points do not derive the reservation size from untrusted input, so reaching this requires an integration that passes an attacker-influenced length to the reservation API, such as a length-prefixed streaming transport.

INFO

Published Date :

Aug. 20, 2026, 7:17 p.m.

Last Modified :

Aug. 20, 2026, 7:17 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-72854 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

No affected product recoded yet

CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM 83251b91-4cc7-4094-a5c7-464a1b83ea10
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM [email protected]
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM MITRE-CVE
CVSS 4.0 MEDIUM 83251b91-4cc7-4094-a5c7-464a1b83ea10
CVSS 4.0 MEDIUM [email protected]
Solution
Prevent heap buffer overflow by validating buffer size before allocation and checking capacity.
  • Validate requested buffer size against maximum limits.
  • Ensure capacity checks are enabled in release builds.
  • Update to a patched version of the msgpack library.
  • Sanitize attacker-controlled input for buffer size.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-72854 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-2026-72854 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).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-72854 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-72854 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.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Aug. 20, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-c', 'vendor': 'msgpack', 'product': 'msgpack-c', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'versionType': 'custom', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.1'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}]
    Added Description msgpack_unpacker_expand_buffer in src/unpack.c, reached through the public msgpack_unpacker_reserve_buffer API, computes its new buffer size using an unchecked size_t addition of the requested size and the amount already used. The doubling loop guards its own multiplication against overflow, but the addition in the loop condition is unguarded, so a request near SIZE_MAX wraps: the loop condition is already satisfied, the allocation is performed at the small pre-wrap size, and the function returns true. The caller is told the requested capacity was reserved when it was not, so a subsequent write of the requested length overflows the heap buffer. The library's own example/lib_buffer_unpack.c demonstrates the reserve-then-write pattern, and its defensive assert comparing capacity against the request is compiled out under NDEBUG. msgpack-c's own decode entry points do not derive the reservation size from untrusted input, so reaching this requires an integration that passes an attacker-influenced length to the reservation API, such as a length-prefixed streaming transport.
    Added CVSS V4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:H/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 CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L
    Added CWE CWE-787
    Added CWE CWE-190
    Added Reference https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-c
    Added Reference https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-c/blob/c-7.0.1/example/lib_buffer_unpack.c
    Added Reference https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-c/blob/c-7.0.1/include/msgpack/unpack.h#L219-L223
    Added Reference https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-c/blob/c-7.0.1/src/unpack.c#L429-L502
    Added Reference https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-c/issues/1181
    Added Reference https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/msgpack-c-integer-overflow-in-msgpack-unpacker-expand-buffer-causes-a-false-success-undersized-reservation
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Aug. 20, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-c/issues/1181
    Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-72854', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'poc'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-08-20T18:52:52.984726Z'}
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.