CVE-2026-5089

CVE-2026-5089 is a high-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3. 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-124.

Key facts

Description

YAML::Syck versions before 1.38 for Perl has an out-of-bounds read. The base60 (sexagesimal) parsing code in perl_syck.h has a buffer underflow bug in both int#base60 and float#base60 handlers. When processing the leftmost segment of a colon-separated value (e.g., the 1 in 1:30:45), the inner while loop can decrement a pointer past the start of the string buffer: while ( colon >= ptr && *colon != ':' ) { colon--; } if ( *colon == ':' ) *colon = '\0'; // colon may be ptr-1 here When no colon is found (final/leftmost segment), colon becomes ptr-1, and the subsequent *colon dereference reads one byte before the allocated buffer.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-5089?
YAML::Syck versions before 1.38 for Perl has an out-of-bounds read. The base60 (sexagesimal) parsing code in perl_syck.h has a buffer underflow bug in both int#base60 and float#base60 handlers. When processing the leftmost segment of a colon-separated value (e.g., the 1 in 1:30:45), the inner while loop can decrement a pointer past the start of the string buffer: while ( colon >= ptr && *colon != ':' ) { colon--; } if ( *colon == ':' ) *colon = '\0'; // colon may be ptr-1 here When no colon is found (final/leftmost segment), colon becomes ptr-1, and the subsequent *colon dereference reads one byte before the allocated buffer.
How severe is CVE-2026-5089?
CVE-2026-5089 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability low.
Is CVE-2026-5089 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (25th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-5089?
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.
Does CVE-2026-5089 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2026-5089 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-29543.
When was CVE-2026-5089 published?
CVE-2026-5089 was published on 2026-05-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

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