CVE-2026-4407
Out-of-bounds array write in Xpdf 4.
Executive Summary
CVE-2026-4407 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting binary-analysis. It is classified as CWE-20. Ensure your systems and dependencies are patched immediately to mitigate exposure risks.
Precogs AI Insight
"This critical flaw stems from within Bounds array, allowing the insecure processing of malicious payloads. An attacker can craft a specific payload to silently exfiltrate sensitive routing topologies and internal schemas. Precogs Binary SAST/DAST engine uncovers boundary violations in compiled software to alert security teams to imminent boundary violations."
What is this vulnerability?
CVE-2026-4407 is categorized as a critical Improper Input Validation flaw. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.
Out-of-bounds array write in Xpdf 4.06 and earlier, due to incorrect validation of the "N" field in ICCBased color spaces....
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 | 0 (UNKNOWN) |
| Vector String | N/A |
| Published | March 18, 2026 |
| Last Modified | March 19, 2026 |
| Related CWEs | CWE-20, CWE-787 |
Impact on Systems
✅ Chained Exploitation: Serves as the root cause enabling XSS, SQLi, and Command Injection attacks down the execution chain.
✅ Business Logic Bypass: Manipulating unexpected inputs (e.g., negative integers for price amounts) subverts core business logic.
✅ Denial of Service: Sending massively oversized or recursively complex inputs can exhaust CPU/Memory parsing limits.
How to fix this issue?
Implement the following strategic mitigations immediately to eliminate the attack surface.
1. Strict Allow-listing Define rigid, regex-based allow-lists for all input vectors, rejecting any data that does not conform to the expected length, type, and format.
2. Type Juggling Prevention Utilize strong static typing and strictly compare variable types before processing data structures.
3. API Gateway Defenses Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAF) and central API Gateways to strip malformed payloads before they reach internal services.
Vulnerability Signature
// Improper Validation resulting in unexpected logic execution
function process_order(quantity) \{
// VULNERABLE: No check if quantity is positive or an integer
let total_price = quantity * 100.00;
user_balance -= total_price; // Negative quantity INCREASES balance
\}
References and Sources
- NVD — CVE-2026-4407
- MITRE — CVE-2026-4407
- CWE-20 — MITRE CWE
- CWE-20 Details
- CWE-787 — MITRE CWE
- CWE-787 Details
- Binary Analysis Vulnerabilities
Vulnerability Code Signature
Attack Data Flow
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | Network packet or file input |
| Vector | Data exceeds the allocated buffer bounds during a copy operation |
| Sink | strcpy(), memcpy(), or pointer arithmetic |
| Impact | Memory corruption, Remote Code Execution (RCE) |
Vulnerable Code Pattern
// ❌ VULNERABLE: Memory Corruption
void process_data(char *input) {
char buffer[128];
// Taint sink: copies without bounds checking
strcpy(buffer, input);
}
Secure Code Pattern
// ✅ SECURE: Bounded Memory Operations
void process_data(char *input) {
char buffer[128];
// Sanitized boundary check
strncpy(buffer, input, sizeof(buffer) - 1);
buffer[sizeof(buffer) - 1] = '\0';
}
How Precogs Detects This
Precogs Binary SAST engine explicitly uncovers memory boundary violations and unsafe memory management functions in compiled binaries.\n