CVE-2026-39956

jq: Missing runtime type checks for _strindices lead to crash and limited memory disclosure

CVE-2026-39956 is fixed in 5 products on 1 platform, first by jq 1.5+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1~esm2, released April 13, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Routine.

Routine
CVSS
6.1
Moderate
Exploitation
None reported
No vendor assessment
CISA KEV
Not listed
Not in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
EPSS
0.0017
6th percentile

jq is a command-line JSON processor. Prior to version 1.8.2, the _strindices builtin in jq's src/builtin.c passes its arguments directly to jv_string_indexes() without verifying they are strings, and jv_string_indexes() in src/jv.c relies solely on assert() checks that are stripped in release builds compiled with -DNDEBUG. This allows an attacker to crash jq trivially with input like _strindices(0), and by crafting a numeric value whose IEEE-754 bit pattern maps to a chosen pointer, achieve a controlled pointer dereference and limited memory read/probe primitive. Any deployment that evaluates untrusted jq filters against a release build is vulnerable. This issue has been patched in commit fdf8ef0f0810e3d365cdd5160de43db46f57ed03, which is part of version 1.8.2.

Where it's fixed

ProductFixed inFixReleased
Linux
jq · Debian 12.15 (bookworm) 1.6-2.1+deb12u2 DEBIAN-CVE-2026-39956 Apr 13, 2026
jq · Debian 13.5 (trixie) 1.7.1-6+deb13u2 DEBIAN-CVE-2026-39956 Apr 13, 2026
jq · Debian 14 1.8.1-5 DEBIAN-CVE-2026-39956 Apr 13, 2026
jq · Fedora 43 1.8.1-3.fc43 FEDORA-2026-4E57162966 Apr 16, 2026
jq · Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) 1.5+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1~esm2 jq 1.5+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1~esm2 Apr 13, 2026
jq · Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (focal) 1.6-1ubuntu0.20.04.1+esm2 jq 1.6-1ubuntu0.20.04.1+esm2 Apr 13, 2026
jq · Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) 1.6-2.1ubuntu3.2 jq 1.6-2.1ubuntu3.2 Apr 13, 2026
jq · Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (noble) 1.7.1-3ubuntu0.24.04.2 jq 1.7.1-3ubuntu0.24.04.2 Apr 13, 2026
jq · Ubuntu 25.10 (questing) 1.8.1-3ubuntu1.1 jq 1.8.1-3ubuntu1.1 Apr 13, 2026
jq · Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (resolute) 1.8.1-4ubuntu2 jq 1.8.1-4ubuntu2 Apr 13, 2026
jq · amzn 2023 1.8.1-59.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-1815 Jun 8, 2026
jq · opensuse-leap 16.0 1.7.1-160000.3.1 OPENSUSE-SU-2026:21248-1 Jul 7, 2026
jq · sles 15.7 1.6-150000.3.20.1 SUSE-SU-2026:2983-1 Jul 14, 2026
jq · sles 16.0 1.7.1-160000.3.1 SUSE-SU-2026:22566-1 Jul 7, 2026
jq-debuginfo · Fedora 43 1.8.1-3.fc43 FEDORA-2026-4E57162966 Apr 16, 2026
jq-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1.8.1-59.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-1815 Jun 8, 2026
jq-debugsource · Fedora 43 1.8.1-3.fc43 FEDORA-2026-4E57162966 Apr 16, 2026
jq-debugsource · amzn 2023 1.8.1-59.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-1815 Jun 8, 2026
jq-devel · Fedora 43 1.8.1-3.fc43 FEDORA-2026-4E57162966 Apr 16, 2026
jq-devel · amzn 2023 1.8.1-59.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-1815 Jun 8, 2026
libjq1 · Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) 1.5+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1~esm2 libjq1 1.5+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1~esm2 Apr 13, 2026
libjq1 · Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (focal) 1.6-1ubuntu0.20.04.1+esm2 libjq1 1.6-1ubuntu0.20.04.1+esm2 Apr 13, 2026
libjq1 · Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) 1.6-2.1ubuntu3.2 libjq1 1.6-2.1ubuntu3.2 Apr 13, 2026
libjq1 · Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (noble) 1.7.1-3ubuntu0.24.04.2 libjq1 1.7.1-3ubuntu0.24.04.2 Apr 13, 2026
libjq1 · Ubuntu 25.10 (questing) 1.8.1-3ubuntu1.1 libjq1 1.8.1-3ubuntu1.1 Apr 13, 2026
libjq1 · Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (resolute) 1.8.1-4ubuntu2 libjq1 1.8.1-4ubuntu2 Apr 13, 2026

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