CVE-2026-6100

CRITICALCVSS 9.1/10EPSS 0.58%

Last modified

CVE-2026-6100 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.1/10 on the CVSS scale. Use-after-free (UAF) was possible in the `lzma.LZMADecompressor`, `bz2.BZ2Decompressor`, and `gzip.GzipFile` when a memory allocation fails with a `MemoryError` and the decompression instance is re-used. This scenario can be triggered if the process is under memory pressure. EPSS estimates a 0.58% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Use-after-free (UAF) was possible in the `lzma.LZMADecompressor`, `bz2.BZ2Decompressor`, and `gzip.GzipFile` when a memory allocation fails with a `MemoryError` and the decompression instance is re-used. This scenario can be triggered if the process is under memory pressure. The fix cleans up the dangling pointer in this specific error condition. The vulnerability is only present if the program re-uses decompressor instances across multiple decompression calls even after a `MemoryError` is raised during decompression. Using the helper functions to one-shot decompress data such as `lzma.decompress()`, `bz2.decompress()`, `gzip.decompress()`, and `zlib.decompress()` are not affected as a new decompressor instance is used per call. If the decompressor instance is not re-used after an error condition, this usage is similarly not vulnerable.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
8.1/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS 4.0
9.1/10

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

EPSS Probability
0.58%

44.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

VendorProductVersions
Python Software FoundationCPython< 3.13.14; >= 3.14.0a1, < 3.14.5rc1; >= 3.15.0a1, < 3.15.0b1

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Awaiting Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-6100?
Use-after-free (UAF) was possible in the `lzma.LZMADecompressor`, `bz2.BZ2Decompressor`, and `gzip.GzipFile` when a memory allocation fails with a `MemoryError` and the decompression instance is re-used. This scenario can be triggered if the process is under memory pressure. The fix cleans up the dangling pointer in this specific error condition. The vulnerability is only present if the program re-uses decompressor instances across multiple decompression calls even after a `MemoryError` is raised during decompression. Using the helper functions to one-shot decompress data such as `lzma.decompress()`, `bz2.decompress()`, `gzip.decompress()`, and `zlib.decompress()` are not affected as a new decompressor instance is used per call. If the decompressor instance is not re-used after an error condition, this usage is similarly not vulnerable.
How severe is CVE-2026-6100?
CVE-2026-6100 has a CVSS score of 9.1/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.58% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-6100?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

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Source: NVD / NIST