CVE-2026-1144 is a use-after-free vulnerability found in the quickjs-ng quickjs JavaScript engine, affecting versions up to 0.11.0. The vulnerability resides in an unspecified function within the Atomics Ops Handler component of quickjs.c. Use-after-free occurs when the program continues to use memory after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior such as memory corruption, crashes, or potential arbitrary code execution. This vulnerability can be triggered remotely without requiring authentication or privileges, but it does require user interaction, likely through crafted JavaScript code execution in an environment embedding quickjs. The vulnerability has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 5.3, indicating medium severity, with attack vector network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:P), and low impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (VC:L, VI:L, VA:L). The presence of a public exploit increases the risk of exploitation, although no widespread exploitation has been reported yet. The patch to fix this vulnerability is identified by the commit hash ea3e9d77454e8fc9cb3ef3c504e9c16af5a80141 and should be applied promptly. Quickjs is often embedded in IoT devices, edge computing platforms, and lightweight applications, which broadens the scope of affected systems.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2026-1144 can be significant, especially for those relying on quickjs in embedded systems, IoT devices, or custom applications that execute JavaScript code. Exploitation could lead to memory corruption, causing denial of service or potentially enabling remote code execution, which threatens confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems. This can result in operational disruptions, data breaches, or unauthorized control over devices. Given the remote attack vector and no privilege requirements, attackers can target exposed services or devices running vulnerable quickjs versions. The medium severity rating suggests moderate risk, but the availability of a public exploit increases urgency. Organizations in sectors such as manufacturing, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure that deploy embedded or IoT devices with quickjs are particularly at risk. Failure to patch could lead to compromise of sensitive systems or disruption of services, impacting business continuity and regulatory compliance under frameworks like GDPR.

European organizations should immediately identify all instances of quickjs-ng quickjs up to version 0.11.0 within their environments, including embedded devices, IoT platforms, and software applications. Apply the official patch referenced by commit ea3e9d77454e8fc9cb3ef3c504e9c16af5a80141 without delay. Where patching is not immediately feasible, implement network-level controls to restrict access to services or devices running quickjs, especially from untrusted networks. Employ application-layer filtering to detect and block malicious JavaScript payloads that could trigger the vulnerability. Conduct thorough code reviews and testing for custom applications embedding quickjs to ensure no vulnerable versions are in use. Monitor logs and network traffic for anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. Additionally, maintain an inventory of IoT and embedded devices to facilitate rapid response. Educate developers and system administrators about the risks of use-after-free vulnerabilities and the importance of timely patching. Finally, consider deploying runtime protection mechanisms such as memory safety tools or sandboxing to reduce exploitation impact.