libexpat before 2.8.3 has an out-of-bounds read and resultant infinite loop because low surrogates are treated the same as high surrogates during Unicode processing in the *_toUtf16 functions
Source GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.2 Medium : upgrade to 2.8.3 when convenient.
Data as of 10 Nov 2026, 16:36 UTC
Thin evidence
One scorer or none| CNA (mitre) | CVSS 3.1 | 6.2 |
|---|
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 2.8.3
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 10 Nov 2026.
What to do
Upgrade libexpat and libexpat/libexpat to 2.8.3.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| libexpat projectlibexpat | Affected
| Fixed in
|
GitHublibexpat/libexpatpkg:github/libexpat/libexpatOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
libexpat before 2.8.3 has an out-of-bounds read and resultant infinite loop because low surrogates are treated the same as high surrogates during Unicode processing in the *_toUtf16 functions.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72522 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/libexpat/libexpat/pull/1296 (opens in a new tab)
- bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2053153 (opens in a new tab)
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.html (opens in a new tab)
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/11/5 (opens in a new tab)