This vulnerability allows passing too large an alignment to the memalign suite of functions (memalign, posix_memalign, aligned_alloc) in the GNU C Library version 2.30 to 2.42. This could result in an integer overflow, which could consequently result in a heap corruption. The attacker must have control over both the size and alignment arguments of the memalign function to exploit this vulnerability.
The size parameter must be close enough to PTRDIFF_MAX to overflow size_t along with the large alignment argument. This limits the malicious inputs for the alignment for memalign to the range [1<<62 + 1, 1<<63] and exactly 1<<63 for posix_memalign and aligned_alloc.
Typically, the alignment argument passed to such functions is a known constrained quantity (e.g., page size, block size, struct sizes) and is not attacker-controlled, which may make this not easily exploitable in practice. However, an application bug could potentially result in the input alignment being too large, e.g., due to a different buffer overflow or integer overflow in the application or its dependent libraries.
Organizations should prioritize patching immediately to mitigate risks associated with this vulnerability.
Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability is classified as high severity with a CVSS score of 8.4 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating a significant risk to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems.
Affected products include GNU glibc versions from 2.30 to 2.42. The vulnerability was published on January 14, 2026, and is classified under CWE-190.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of this vulnerability is the incorrect handling of alignment parameters, leading to possible integer overflow. The attack vector is local, meaning that an attacker must have local access to the system to exploit this vulnerability.
The attack complexity is low, as the attacker needs no privileges and no user interaction is required. The impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability are all high.
Risk & Impact Analysis
Risk to organizations includes potential heap corruption, which may lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service. The vulnerability poses a significant risk to applications relying on GNU glibc for memory management.
The urgency for organizations to address this vulnerability is high, given the CVSS score of 8.4. Patching should be prioritized in the next patch cycle.
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
All versions of GNU glibc from 2.30 to 2.42 are affected. Organizations should upgrade to the latest version to mitigate this vulnerability.
Mitigation & Remediation
To remediate this vulnerability, organizations should apply the latest patches available for GNU glibc. Configuration hardening should also be considered to limit the impact of any potential exploits.
For further assistance, organizations can explore our penetration testing services.
Detection Guidance
Organizations should monitor logs for any unusual memory allocation patterns and behavioral anomalies that may indicate exploitation attempts of this vulnerability.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
This vulnerability highlights the importance of validating memory management functions to prevent potential exploitation. Security teams should be vigilant about the types of inputs that can be passed to functions like memalign.
To understand more about security testing, organizations can refer to our penetration testing methodology and the best practices in security testing to ensure robust defenses.
In conclusion, organizations should remain proactive in their security measures by regularly assessing their applications and infrastructure against vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-0861.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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