CVE-2026-81879: CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read in radareorg radare2
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.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
radare2 versions before 6.2.0 contain a vulnerability in the ELF PN_XNUM handling logic. The ELF parser allocates the program-header array using the resolved PN_XNUM count, but some consumers iterate using the original e_phnum value of 65535 (0xffff). When processing a crafted ELF file with e_phnum set to 0xffff and a smaller resolved count in shdr[0].sh_info, this mismatch causes iteration beyond the allocated array bounds. This results in a heap out-of-bounds read and process termination, leading to denial of service. There is no evidence of memory disclosure or code execution exploitation. The issue is addressed in version 6.2.0.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability causes a heap out-of-bounds read that leads to process termination, resulting in a denial of service condition. There is no confirmed impact on confidentiality or integrity, as memory disclosure and code execution have not been demonstrated.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade radare2 to version 6.2.0 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. No other mitigation is required.
CVE-2026-81879: CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read in radareorg radare2
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.
CVSS v3.1
Score 5.5medium
Affected software
radareorg
radare2
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
radare2 versions before 6.2.0 contain a vulnerability in the ELF PN_XNUM handling logic. The ELF parser allocates the program-header array using the resolved PN_XNUM count, but some consumers iterate using the original e_phnum value of 65535 (0xffff). When processing a crafted ELF file with e_phnum set to 0xffff and a smaller resolved count in shdr[0].sh_info, this mismatch causes iteration beyond the allocated array bounds. This results in a heap out-of-bounds read and process termination, leading to denial of service. There is no evidence of memory disclosure or code execution exploitation. The issue is addressed in version 6.2.0.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability causes a heap out-of-bounds read that leads to process termination, resulting in a denial of service condition. There is no confirmed impact on confidentiality or integrity, as memory disclosure and code execution have not been demonstrated.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade radare2 to version 6.2.0 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. No other mitigation is required.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-27T17:48:42.122Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6ab29c3cf7a7c54106580d63
Added to database: 09/22/2026, 15:18:20 UTC
Last enriched: 09/22/2026, 15:33:07 UTC
Last updated: 09/22/2026, 16:16:59 UTC
Views: 4
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