CVE-2026-19542

Stack-based out-of-bounds write in tdelete during tree rebalancing

Published Sep 14, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 5.6 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
Calling tdelete on a sufficiently deep tree in the GNU C Library version 2.1 to 2.44 may write one pointer past the end of an alloca-allocated array on the stack, which may crash the application.

The tdelete implementation keeps an explicit stack of parent nodes for rebalancing, which is grown as needed while descending the tree. Two rebalancing branches push an additional entry without checking the capacity, and write past the array when the stack is exactly full. Triggering this requires a node at a depth of exactly 40 (or 40 plus a multiple of 20), which implies a tree with at least a million nodes, so an attacker must drive a large number of insertions and deletions through an application that uses tsearch and tdelete. The written value is a pointer into a tree node and is not directly attacker controlled. No affected application in common distributions has been identified.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

Sign in to view the affected projects.

Advisories

Source ID Title
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8737-1 GNU C Library vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8737-2 GNU C Library vulnerabilities
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A flaw was found in glibc. An out-of-bounds array write vulnerability exists within the `tdelete` function. This issue occurs due to incorrect management of array sizes, which can lead to memory corruption. A local attacker with low privileges could potentially exploit this to cause a denial of service or disclose sensitive information. Calling tdelete on a sufficiently deep tree in the GNU C Library version 2.1 to 2.44 may write one pointer past the end of an alloca-allocated array on the stack, which may crash the application. The tdelete implementation keeps an explicit stack of parent nodes for rebalancing, which is grown as needed while descending the tree. Two rebalancing branches push an additional entry without checking the capacity, and write past the array when the stack is exactly full. Triggering this requires a node at a depth of exactly 40 (or 40 plus a multiple of 20), which implies a tree with at least a million nodes, so an attacker must drive a large number of insertions and deletions through an application that uses tsearch and tdelete. The written value is a pointer into a tree node and is not directly attacker controlled. No affected application in common distributions has been identified.
Title glibc: Fix out-of-bounds array write in tdelete Stack-based out-of-bounds write in tdelete during tree rebalancing
Weaknesses CWE-121
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 4.2, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L'}

ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.6, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Gnu
Gnu glibc
Vendors & Products Gnu
Gnu glibc
Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A flaw was found in glibc. An out-of-bounds array write vulnerability exists within the `tdelete` function. This issue occurs due to incorrect management of array sizes, which can lead to memory corruption. A local attacker with low privileges could potentially exploit this to cause a denial of service or disclose sensitive information.
Title glibc: Fix out-of-bounds array write in tdelete
Weaknesses CWE-787
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 4.2, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L'}

threat_severity

Moderate

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
glibc
Published
Updated
Sep 14, 2026, 7:42 PM
Reserved
Aug 11, 2026, 1:00 PM
Status
Awaiting Analysis
Published
Sep 14, 2026, 6:17 PM
Modified
Sep 18, 2026, 6:17 PM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Aug 25, 2026, 6:49 AM