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CVE-2026-39956

6.1 · MEDIUM

jq is a command-line JSON processor.

Published Apr 13, 2026CWE-125EPSS 0.17%

Overview

CVE-2026-39956 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on April 13, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

jq is a command-line JSON processor. In commits after 69785bf77f86e2ea1b4a20ca86775916889e91c9, the _strindices builtin in jq's src/builtin.c passes its arguments directly to jv_string_indexes() without verifying they are strings, and jv_string_indexes() in src/jv.c relies solely on assert() checks that are stripped in release builds compiled with -DNDEBUG. This allows an attacker to crash jq trivially with input like _strindices(0), and by crafting a numeric value whose IEEE-754 bit pattern maps to a chosen pointer, achieve a controlled pointer dereference and limited memory read/probe primitive. Any deployment that evaluates untrusted jq filters against a release build is vulnerable. This issue has been patched in commit fdf8ef0f0810e3d365cdd5160de43db46f57ed03.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-39956?

CVE-2026-39956 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on April 13, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-39956?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-39956?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-39956?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2026-39956 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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