Use After Free in Curl

CVE-2026-80229

When performing transfers via libcurl’s multi interface, pooled TLS connections can outlive their originating easy handles. In OpenSSL 3 provider configurations, libcurl attaches an allocated library context to the easy handle's state and passes it to OpenSSL without acquiring an ownership reference; destroying the easy handle prematurely frees this context while the active connection retains a dangling pointer, leading to a heap-use-after-free upon subsequent I/O or post-handshake operations.

Vulnerability class: Use-After-Free

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.006 (46.0th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 46th percentile — 46.0% 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-2026-80229: held from 0.009 to 0.006.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.009 · newest: 0.006 · change: -0.003

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-80229?
CVE-2026-80229 is a high-severity vulnerability in Curl, classified under Use After Free. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-09-06.
How severe is CVE-2026-80229?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.