How severe is CVE-2026-41992?

CVE-2026-41992 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2026-41992 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (21st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-41992?

CVE-2026-41992 affects Gnu Gzip. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2026-41992?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2026-41992 published?

CVE-2026-41992 was published on 2026-06-29 and last updated on 2026-07-01.

CVE-2026-41992

CVE-2026-41992 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gnu Gzip with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-126.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v4: 6.9
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (21st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-126
Affected product: Gnu Gzip
Published: 2026-06-29
Last modified: 2026-07-01

Description

GNU gzip contains a global buffer overflow vulnerability in the LZH decompression logic caused by improper reuse of shared global state between different decompression formats within a single execution. GNU gzip maintains a global array that is shared across the LZ77, LZW, and LZH decompression routines and is not reinitialized between files processed in the same invocation. By decompressing a specially crafted LZW file followed by a specially crafted LZH file in a single gzip -d command, an attacker can poison the shared global state and subsequently trigger an out‑of‑bounds read in the LZH decoder. The LZH decompression logic follows stale values left in the shared array, causing reads past the end of the allocated global buffer. This issue has been fixed in the commit 63dbf6b3b9e6e781df1a6a64e609b10e23969681

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-41992?: GNU gzip contains a global buffer overflow vulnerability in the LZH decompression logic caused by improper reuse of shared global state between different decompression formats within a single execution. GNU gzip maintains a global array that is shared across the LZ77, LZW, and LZH decompression routines and is not reinitialized between files processed in the same invocation. By decompressing a specially crafted LZW file followed by a specially crafted LZH file in a single gzip -d command, an attacker can poison the shared global state and subsequently trigger an out‑of‑bounds read in the LZH decoder. The LZH decompression logic follows stale values left in the shared array, causing reads past the end of the allocated global buffer. This issue has been fixed in the commit 63dbf6b3b9e6e781df1a6a64e609b10e23969681
How severe is CVE-2026-41992?: CVE-2026-41992 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2026-41992 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (21st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-41992?: CVE-2026-41992 affects Gnu Gzip. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-41992?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2026-41992 published?: CVE-2026-41992 was published on 2026-06-29 and last updated on 2026-07-01.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:gzip:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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