CVE-2026-74766
Net::IDN::Punycode versions from 2.301 before 2.590 for Perl allow a heap use-after-free via a decoded code point that reallocates the output buffer in decode_punycode
Description
Net::IDN::Punycode versions from 2.301 before 2.590 for Perl allow a heap use-after-free via a decoded code point that reallocates the output buffer in decode_punycode. The XS backend inserts each decoded code point into the string buffer of the scalar it returns. decode_punycode computes the insertion pointer first and only then grows the buffer when the code point does not fit. The growth reallocates the buffer and updates every pointer except the insertion pointer, so the move that follows and the write of the code point go through a freed pointer. The buffer starts at twice the label length, and a code point above U+FFFF takes four bytes in the output, so a label of such code points outgrows it and forces the reallocation. Version 2.301, the fix for CVE-2016-15059, introduced the defect. Only the XS backend is affected. Decoding an attacker-supplied punycode label reads and writes freed heap memory.
INFO
Published Date :
Sept. 22, 2026, 8:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
Sept. 22, 2026, 1:17 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-74766
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
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 |
Solution
- Update the Net::IDN::Punycode module to a fixed version.
- Verify the update addresses the reallocation issue.
- Review code for proper memory management.
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-2026-74766.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-74766 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-2026-74766
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-2026-74766 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-74766 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.
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CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Sep. 22, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-74766', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-22T12:41:49.066140Z'} -
New CVE Received by 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e
Sep. 22, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description Net::IDN::Punycode versions from 2.301 before 2.590 for Perl allow a heap use-after-free via a decoded code point that reallocates the output buffer in decode_punycode. The XS backend inserts each decoded code point into the string buffer of the scalar it returns. decode_punycode computes the insertion pointer first and only then grows the buffer when the code point does not fit. The growth reallocates the buffer and updates every pointer except the insertion pointer, so the move that follows and the write of the code point go through a freed pointer. The buffer starts at twice the label length, and a code point above U+FFFF takes four bytes in the output, so a label of such code points outgrows it and forces the reallocation. Version 2.301, the fix for CVE-2016-15059, introduced the defect. Only the XS backend is affected. Decoding an attacker-supplied punycode label reads and writes freed heap memory. Added CWE CWE-416 Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/74xxx/CVE-2026-74766.json">CVE-2026-74766</a> Added Reference https://github.com/robrwo/Net-IDN-Encode/commit/259e74c5739175b063c5393a4ce4a0705678ba61.patch Added Reference https://github.com/robrwo/Net-IDN-Encode/commit/2fbc71e4d8517ab65c5d5d35fda086371b735a3f.patch Added Reference https://metacpan.org/release/PJCJ/Net-IDN-Encode-2.590-TRIAL/changes Added Reference https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-15059