Buffer overflow in FreeBSD
CVE-2026-39457
When exchanging data over a socket, libnv uses select(2) to wait for data to arrive. However, it does not verify whether the provided socket descriptor fits in select(2)'s file descriptor set size limit of FD_SETSIZE (1024). An attacker who is able to force a libnv application to allocate large file descriptors, e.g., by opening many descriptors and executing a program which is not careful to close them upon startup, can trigger stack corruption. If the target application is setuid-root, then this could be used to elevate local privileges.
Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.002 (4.6th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 5th percentile — 4.6% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.000
Affected products
- FreeBSD — versions 14.3, 13.5, 15.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security.freebsd.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-26:16.libnv.asc (vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-39457?
- CVE-2026-39457 is a high-severity vulnerability in FreeBSD, classified under Stack-based Buffer Overflow. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-04-30.
- How severe is CVE-2026-39457?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.