CVE-2026-81879
radare2: Heap out-of-bounds read in radare2 ELF PN_XNUM handling
Description
radare2 is a UNIX-like reverse engineering framework and command-line toolset. Prior to 6.2.0, radare2's ELF PN_XNUM handling was vulnerable because the ELF parser allocated the program-header array using the resolved PN_XNUM count but several consumers still iterated with the original e_phnum value of 65535. The vulnerability is triggered by processing a crafted ELF file with e_phnum = 0xffff and a much smaller resolved count in shdr[0].sh_info. Consumers iterated beyond the allocated program-header array. This can cause a heap out-of-bounds read and process termination, resulting in denial of service; memory disclosure and code execution have not been demonstrated. This issue is fixed in version 6.2.0.
INFO
Published Date :
Sept. 22, 2026, 4:18 p.m.
Last Modified :
Sept. 25, 2026, 4:53 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 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update radare2 to version 6.2.0.
- Process ELF files securely.
- Avoid processing crafted ELF files.
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-2026-81879.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/commit/9449b07579c19b6b187c1a0918fbec2cef1a036e | Patch |
| https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/issues/26223 | Exploit Issue Tracking Mitigation Vendor Advisory |
| https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/pull/26178 | Patch |
| https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/releases/tag/6.2.0 | Release Notes |
| https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/security/advisories/GHSA-jqfq-hvcp-xh4p | Patch Vendor Advisory |
| https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/issues/26223 | Exploit Issue Tracking Mitigation Vendor Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-81879 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-2026-81879
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-2026-81879 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-81879 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]
Sep. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:radare:radare2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 6.2.0 Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/commit/9449b07579c19b6b187c1a0918fbec2cef1a036e Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/issues/26223 Types: Exploit, Issue Tracking, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/pull/26178 Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/releases/tag/6.2.0 Types: Release Notes Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/security/advisories/GHSA-jqfq-hvcp-xh4p Types: Patch, Vendor Advisory Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/issues/26223 Types: Exploit, Issue Tracking, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Sep. 22, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description radare2 is a UNIX-like reverse engineering framework and command-line toolset. Prior to 6.2.0, radare2's ELF PN_XNUM handling was vulnerable because the ELF parser allocated the program-header array using the resolved PN_XNUM count but several consumers still iterated with the original e_phnum value of 65535. The vulnerability is triggered by processing a crafted ELF file with e_phnum = 0xffff and a much smaller resolved count in shdr[0].sh_info. Consumers iterated beyond the allocated program-header array. This can cause a heap out-of-bounds read and process termination, resulting in denial of service; memory disclosure and code execution have not been demonstrated. This issue is fixed in version 6.2.0. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CWE CWE-125 Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/81xxx/CVE-2026-81879.json">CVE-2026-81879</a> Added Reference https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/commit/9449b07579c19b6b187c1a0918fbec2cef1a036e Added Reference https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/issues/26223 Added Reference https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/pull/26178 Added Reference https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/releases/tag/6.2.0 Added Reference https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/security/advisories/GHSA-jqfq-hvcp-xh4p -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Sep. 22, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/issues/26223 Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-81879', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'poc'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-22T15:38:19.474912Z'}