CVE-2026-14164: Double Free in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
A double free issue has been identified in libarchive's RAR5 reader. During parsing of a specially crafted RAR5 archive, the filtered_buf pointer may remain stale after being freed during unpacking state reinitialization. Subsequent processing of another archive entry can trigger a second free of the same memory region, resulting in a double-free condition. Successful exploitation may cause applications using the vulnerable libarchive API to terminate unexpectedly, leading to a denial of service.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
A double free vulnerability exists in libarchive's RAR5 archive parsing code, where the filtered_buf pointer may remain stale after being freed during unpacking state reinitialization. Processing a crafted RAR5 archive can trigger a second free of the same memory region, causing a double-free condition. This can lead to application termination and denial of service. The vulnerability affects libarchive versions including RAR5 support starting from 3.4.0. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Hardened Images shipping libarchive 3.8.8-2.hum1 are affected. Red Hat has published security updates for libarchive and related RPMs to fix this issue. No mitigations other than applying the update are currently available.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation causes applications using the vulnerable libarchive API to terminate unexpectedly, resulting in denial of service. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but has a high availability impact. It is exploitable remotely in automated network-facing services that process RAR5 archives without user interaction. Standalone library use requires local user interaction to trigger the flaw. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat has released security updates for libarchive and related packages in Red Hat Hardened Images to address this vulnerability. Customers should apply the updated packages (libarchive-3.8.8-2.hum1 and related RPMs) as soon as possible. No other mitigations or workarounds are currently available or recommended by Red Hat.
CVE-2026-14164: Double Free in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Description
A double free issue has been identified in libarchive's RAR5 reader. During parsing of a specially crafted RAR5 archive, the filtered_buf pointer may remain stale after being freed during unpacking state reinitialization. Subsequent processing of another archive entry can trigger a second free of the same memory region, resulting in a double-free condition. Successful exploitation may cause applications using the vulnerable libarchive API to terminate unexpectedly, leading to a denial of service.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.5high
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
A double free vulnerability exists in libarchive's RAR5 archive parsing code, where the filtered_buf pointer may remain stale after being freed during unpacking state reinitialization. Processing a crafted RAR5 archive can trigger a second free of the same memory region, causing a double-free condition. This can lead to application termination and denial of service. The vulnerability affects libarchive versions including RAR5 support starting from 3.4.0. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Hardened Images shipping libarchive 3.8.8-2.hum1 are affected. Red Hat has published security updates for libarchive and related RPMs to fix this issue. No mitigations other than applying the update are currently available.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation causes applications using the vulnerable libarchive API to terminate unexpectedly, resulting in denial of service. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but has a high availability impact. It is exploitable remotely in automated network-facing services that process RAR5 archives without user interaction. Standalone library use requires local user interaction to trigger the flaw. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat has released security updates for libarchive and related packages in Red Hat Hardened Images to address this vulnerability. Customers should apply the updated packages (libarchive-3.8.8-2.hum1 and related RPMs) as soon as possible. No other mitigations or workarounds are currently available or recommended by Red Hat.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2026-06-30T05:30:04.144Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-14164","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 6a436e8027e9c797194c9ea7
Added to database: 06/30/2026, 07:21:36 UTC
Last enriched: 08/10/2026, 13:09:33 UTC
Last updated: 08/13/2026, 00:41:09 UTC
Views: 87
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.