CVE-2026-18739
Popt-devel: popt-static: off-by-one in poptstuffargs
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Low
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
2.5
Popt-devel: popt-static: off-by-one in poptstuffargs
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.
- Record
CVE-2026-18739- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-787
- Updated
- 2026-11-06
EUVDEUVD-2026-52577
2.5
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.
- Record
EUVD-2026-52577- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-06
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-255r-gqmx-m2jm
2.5
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the...
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.
- Record
GHSA-255r-gqmx-m2jm- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-787
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
2.5
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.
- Record
CVE-2026-18739- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-787
- Updated
- 2026-11-06
OSVBELL-CVE-2026-18739
2.5
- Record
BELL-CVE-2026-18739- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2026-18739
2.5
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-18739- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-07
Show 9 moreShow less
OSVOESA-2026-3611
2.5
popt security update
The popt library exists essentially for parsing command line options. Some specific advantages of popt are no global variables (allowing multiple passes in parsing argv), parsing an arbitrary array of argv-style elements (allowing parsing of command-line-strings from any source), a standard method of option aliasing, ability to exec external option filters, and automatic generation of help and usage messages.
Security Fix(es):
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.(CVE-2026-18739)
- Record
OESA-2026-3611- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVOESA-2026-3612
2.5
popt security update
The popt library exists essentially for parsing command line options. Some specific advantages of popt are no global variables (allowing multiple passes in parsing argv), parsing an arbitrary array of argv-style elements (allowing parsing of command-line-strings from any source), a standard method of option aliasing, ability to exec external option filters, and automatic generation of help and usage messages.
Security Fix(es):
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.(CVE-2026-18739)
- Record
OESA-2026-3612- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVOESA-2026-3613
2.5
popt security update
The popt library exists essentially for parsing command line options. Some specific advantages of popt are no global variables (allowing multiple passes in parsing argv), parsing an arbitrary array of argv-style elements (allowing parsing of command-line-strings from any source), a standard method of option aliasing, ability to exec external option filters, and automatic generation of help and usage messages.
Security Fix(es):
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.(CVE-2026-18739)
- Record
OESA-2026-3613- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVOESA-2026-3614
2.5
popt security update
The popt library exists essentially for parsing command line options. Some specific advantages of popt are no global variables (allowing multiple passes in parsing argv), parsing an arbitrary array of argv-style elements (allowing parsing of command-line-strings from any source), a standard method of option aliasing, ability to exec external option filters, and automatic generation of help and usage messages.
Security Fix(es):
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.(CVE-2026-18739)
- Record
OESA-2026-3614- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVOESA-2026-3846
2.5
popt security update
The popt library exists essentially for parsing command line options. Some specific advantages of popt are no global variables (allowing multiple passes in parsing argv), parsing an arbitrary array of argv-style elements (allowing parsing of command-line-strings from any source), a standard method of option aliasing, ability to exec external option filters, and automatic generation of help and usage messages.
Security Fix(es):
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.(CVE-2026-18739)
A flaw was found in popt. This vulnerability allows an attacker to provide specially crafted configuration content to a host, which, when loaded, can lead to a small memory corruption issue. This occurs because of an error in how the poptConfigFileToString function reallocates memory for buffers. Successful exploitation could result in heap metadata corruption, potentially causing the affected process to become unavailable (denial of service).(CVE-2026-18743)
- Record
OESA-2026-3846- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2026:56984
2.5
Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs Security Update
- Record
RHSA-2026:56984- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2026-18739
2.5
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-18739- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVAZL-94508 No score
CVE-2026-18739 affecting package popt 1.19-2
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.
- Record
AZL-94508- Updated
- 2026-11-05
OSVAZL-94596 No score
CVE-2026-18739 affecting package rsync 3.5.1-1
A flaw was found in popt, a command-line option parsing library. An off-by-one error in the poptStuffArgs function, when repeatedly called by a host application or through deep alias nesting, can lead to corruption of internal program data. This corruption could potentially enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary code if the host application then unsafely processes the altered data.
- Record
AZL-94596- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
poptAzure Linux:3 |
through 1.19-2 | None known |
rsyncAzure Linux:3 |
through 3.5.1-1 | None known |
poptAlpaquita:23 |
1.19-r0 up to 1.19-r1 | 1.19-r1 |
poptAlpaquita:25 |
1.19-r4 up to 1.19-r5 | 1.19-r5 |
poptAlpaquita:stream |
1.19-r0 up to 1.19-r5 | 1.19-r5 |
poptDebian:12 |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.19+dfsg-11.19+dfsg-2 |
None known |
poptDebian:13 |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.19+dfsg-2 |
None known |
poptDebian:14 |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.19+dfsg-2 |
None known |
poptopenEuler:20.03-LTS-SP4 |
before 1.18-4.oe2003sp4 | 1.18-4.oe2003sp4 |
poptopenEuler:22.03-LTS-SP4 |
before 1.18-4.oe2203sp4 | 1.18-4.oe2203sp4 |
Show 14 moreShow less
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
poptopenEuler:24.03-LTS-SP1 |
before 1.19-5.oe2403sp1 | 1.19-5.oe2403sp1 |
poptopenEuler:24.03-LTS-SP3 |
before 1.19-5.oe2403sp3 | 1.19-5.oe2403sp3 |
poptopenEuler:24.03-LTS-SP4 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 1.19-6.oe2403sp4 | 1.19-6.oe2403sp4 |
poptRed Hat:hummingbird:1 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 0:1.19-11.1.hum1 | 0:1.19-11.1.hum1 |
popt-develRed Hat:hummingbird:1 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 0:1.19-11.1.hum1 | 0:1.19-11.1.hum1 |
popt-staticRed Hat:hummingbird:1 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 0:1.19-11.1.hum1 | 0:1.19-11.1.hum1 |
poptUbuntu:14.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.16-7ubuntu31.16-81.16-8ubuntu1 |
None known |
poptUbuntu:16.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.16-10 |
None known |
poptUbuntu:18.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.16-101.16-11 |
None known |
poptUbuntu:20.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.16-121.16-14 |
None known |
poptUbuntu:22.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.18-2build21.18-2build31.18-31.18-3build1 |
None known |
poptUbuntu:24.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.19+dfsg-11.19+dfsg-1build1 |
None known |
poptUbuntu:26.10 |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.19+dfsg-2build1 |
None known |
poptUbuntu:26.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.19+dfsg-21.19+dfsg-2build1 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| products | CVE List, EUVD | |
| affected | ||
| facts | OSV | |
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-18739 is a low vulnerability (CVSS 2.5) in Rpm-software-management Popt, published August 4, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.14%, the 3rd percentile. Fixed in popt 1.19-r1.
References
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56984
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-18739
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2510737
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-18739
github.com/advisories/GHSA-255r-gqmx-m2jm
docs.bell-sw.com/security/cves/CVE-2026-18739
Show 15 moreShow less
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-18739
openeuler.org/zh/security/security-bulletins/detail?id=openEuler-SA-2026-3611
openeuler.org/zh/security/security-bulletins/detail?id=openEuler-SA-2026-3612
openeuler.org/zh/security/security-bulletins/detail?id=openEuler-SA-2026-3613
openeuler.org/zh/security/security-bulletins/detail?id=openEuler-SA-2026-3614
openeuler.org/zh/security/security-bulletins/detail?id=openEuler-SA-2026-3846
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-18743
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-18743
access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification
images.redhat.com
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2026/rhsa-2026_56984.json
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-18739
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2510809
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-18743
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-18739