CVE-2026-31965
HTSlib is a library for reading and writing bioinformatics file formats.
Executive Summary
CVE-2026-31965 is a high severity vulnerability affecting binary-analysis. It is classified as Out-of-bounds Read. Ensure your systems and dependencies are patched immediately to mitigate exposure risks.
Precogs AI Insight
"Precogs Binary SAST/DAST engine performs deep structural analysis of compiled binaries, detecting memory corruption, control-flow hijacking, and privilege escalation vulnerabilities without requiring source code access."
What is this vulnerability?
CVE-2026-31965 is categorized as a critical Memory Corruption Vulnerability flaw. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.
HTSlib is a library for reading and writing bioinformatics file formats. CRAM is a compressed format which stores DNA sequence alignment data. In the `cram...
This architectural defect enables adversaries to bypass intended security controls, directly manipulating the application's execution state or data layer. Immediate strategic intervention is required.
Risk Assessment
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| CVSS Base Score | 8.2 (HIGH) |
| Vector String | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H |
| Published | March 18, 2026 |
| Last Modified | March 19, 2026 |
| Related CWEs | CWE-125, CWE-129 |
Impact on Systems
✅ Remote Code Execution: Adversaries may execute arbitrary code by overwriting memory regions.
✅ Denial of Service: Memory corruption often leads to unrecoverable application crashes.
✅ Information Disclosure: Out-of-bounds reads can expose adjacent memory containing sensitive data.
How to fix this issue?
Implement the following strategic mitigations immediately to eliminate the attack surface.
1. Memory-Safe Languages When possible, migrate parsing logic to memory-safe languages like Rust or Go.
2. Compiler Protections Ensure the binary is compiled with ASLR, DEP/NX, Stack Canaries, and RELRO.
3. Fuzz Testing Implement continuous fuzzing with AddressSanitizer (ASan) in the CI/CD pipeline.
Vulnerability Signature
// Generic Memory Corruption Vector (C/C++)
void process_input(char *user_data, size_t size) \{
char buffer[256];
// DANGEROUS: Unbounded memory operation
memcpy(buffer, user_data, size); // size may exceed 256
// SECURED: Bound-checked operation
if (size \> sizeof(buffer)) \{
size = sizeof(buffer);
\}
memcpy(buffer, user_data, size);
\}