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
"This critical flaw stems from within HTSlib, allowing the insecure processing of malicious payloads. In a real-world scenario, an attacker could exploit this by trigger a denial of service state, crashing critical operational components. Precogs Binary SAST detects lifecycle mismanagement and dangling pointers to intercept unsafe execution patterns."
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);
\}
References and Sources
- NVD — CVE-2026-31965
- MITRE — CVE-2026-31965
- CWE-125 — MITRE CWE
- CWE-125 Details
- CWE-129 — MITRE CWE
- CWE-129 Details
- Binary Analysis Vulnerabilities
Vulnerability Code Signature
Attack Data Flow
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | Network packet or file input |
| Vector | Read operation extends beyond the allocated buffer bounds |
| Sink | memcpy(), strlen(), or pointer arithmetic |
| Impact | Information disclosure, memory leak, denial of service |
Vulnerable Code Pattern
// ❌ VULNERABLE: Out-of-bounds read
void read_data(char *input, int length) {
char buffer[64] = {0};
// Taint sink: reads beyond buffer size if length > 64
memcpy(buffer, input, length);
}
Secure Code Pattern
// ✅ SECURE: Bounded read
void read_data(char *input, int length) {
char buffer[64] = {0};
// Sanitized boundary check
int safe_length = (length > sizeof(buffer)) ? sizeof(buffer) : length;
memcpy(buffer, input, safe_length);
}
How Precogs Detects This
Precogs Binary SAST engine explicitly uncovers memory boundary violations and unsafe memory management functions in compiled binaries.\n