Improper input validation in Jqlang Jq

CVE-2026-33948

jq is a command-line JSON processor. Commits before 6374ae0bcdfe33a18eb0ae6db28493b1f34a0a5b contain a vulnerability where CLI input parsing allows validation bypass via embedded NUL bytes. When reading JSON from files or stdin, jq uses strlen() to determine buffer length instead of the actual byte count from fgets(), causing it to truncate input at the first NUL byte and parse only the preceding prefix. This enables an attacker to craft input with a benign JSON prefix before a NUL byte followed by malicious trailing data, where jq validates only the prefix as valid JSON while silently discarding the suffix. Workflows relying on jq to validate untrusted JSON before forwarding it to downstream consumers are susceptible to parser differential attacks, as those consumers may process the full input including the malicious trailing bytes. This issue has been patched by commit 6374ae0bcdfe33a18eb0ae6db28493b1f34a0a5b.

Vulnerability class: Drupalgeddon 2 (CVE-2018-7600)

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.3 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.003 (25.9th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 26th percentile — 25.9% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-33948: held from 0.003 to 0.003.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.003 · change: +0.001

Affected products

  • Jqlang Jq — versions < 6374ae0bcdfe33a18eb0ae6db28493b1f34a0a5b

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-33948?
CVE-2026-33948 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Jqlang Jq, classified under Improper Input Validation. CVSS score: 5.3/10. Published 2026-04-14.
How severe is CVE-2026-33948?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.3 out of 10.