UBUNTU-CVE-2026-49146
App::Ack versions before 3.10.0 for Perl have a vulnerability where an unbounded context value in a project .ackrc file can cause memory exhaustion. The tool searches upward from the current directory for a project .ackrc and loads options including -B and -C context values. These options accept any positive integer, and ack allocates a before-context buffer sized to that value. A maliciously large value in .ackrc can cause ack to allocate excessive memory, leading to an out-of-memory condition and aborting the process.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability in App::Ack before version 3.10.0 arises from unbounded allocation of memory based on the -B and -C context options specified in a project .ackrc file. Since ack searches the directory hierarchy for this file and loads its options, a .ackrc file with a very large --before-context value (e.g., 100 million) causes ack to allocate a buffer of that size. This can lead to memory exhaustion and process termination. This issue affects multiple Ubuntu package versions of ack prior to 3.10.0.
Potential Impact
This vulnerability can cause denial of service by exhausting system memory when ack processes a project .ackrc file containing an excessively large context value. It does not impact confidentiality or integrity but results in availability loss due to process abort from out-of-memory conditions. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fixed version is available, avoid using untrusted project .ackrc files or restrict the use of large context values in .ackrc configurations.
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-49146
Description
App::Ack versions before 3.10.0 for Perl have a vulnerability where an unbounded context value in a project .ackrc file can cause memory exhaustion. The tool searches upward from the current directory for a project .ackrc and loads options including -B and -C context values. These options accept any positive integer, and ack allocates a before-context buffer sized to that value. A maliciously large value in .ackrc can cause ack to allocate excessive memory, leading to an out-of-memory condition and aborting the process.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.5high
Affected software
pkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability in App::Ack before version 3.10.0 arises from unbounded allocation of memory based on the -B and -C context options specified in a project .ackrc file. Since ack searches the directory hierarchy for this file and loads its options, a .ackrc file with a very large --before-context value (e.g., 100 million) causes ack to allocate a buffer of that size. This can lead to memory exhaustion and process termination. This issue affects multiple Ubuntu package versions of ack prior to 3.10.0.
Potential Impact
This vulnerability can cause denial of service by exhausting system memory when ack processes a project .ackrc file containing an excessively large context value. It does not impact confidentiality or integrity but results in availability loss due to process abort from out-of-memory conditions. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fixed version is available, avoid using untrusted project .ackrc files or restrict the use of large context values in .ackrc configurations.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- UBUNTU-CVE-2026-49146
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.7.0
- Aliases
- []
- Ecosystems
- ["Ubuntu:18.04:LTS","Ubuntu:20.04:LTS","Ubuntu:22.04:LTS","Ubuntu:24.04:LTS","Ubuntu:25.10","Ubuntu:26.04:LTS"]
- Database Specific Severity
- null
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
Threat ID: 6a58b49568715ace43da7e0b
Added to database: 07/16/2026, 10:38:13 UTC
Last enriched: 07/16/2026, 12:25:45 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:24:49 UTC
Views: 17
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