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CVE-2026-120757

Heap Buffer Over-read via Non-Terminated Link Data in H5L__extern_traverse

6.9 Medium

HDF5 through 2.2.0 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in H5L__extern_traverse() in src/H5Lexternal.c, the default traversal callback for external links. The callback locates the target file name and object path within the link’s user data using strlen() without validating the buffer against its stored size (udata_size, which was marked unused). A crafted HDF5 file containing an external link whose data is not NULL-terminated, or is too short to hold both strings, causes strlen() to read past the end of the udata heap buffer, and the derived object path pointer may also point outside the buffer. The overrun is unbounded and continues until a zero byte is found. The flaw is triggered when the malicious link is traversed, for example when opening an object through it. An attacker who can get a user or application to access a crafted file can cause a denial of service, and adjacent heap contents may be incorporated into the external file name or object path the library attempts to open.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
Passive

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

0.15%Unchanged since Nov 4, 2026
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 6.9

Heap Buffer Over-read via Non-Terminated Link Data in H5L__extern_traverse

HDF5 through 2.2.0 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in H5L__extern_traverse() in src/H5Lexternal.c, the default traversal callback for external links. The callback locates the target file name and object path within the link’s user data using strlen() without validating the buffer against its stored size (udata_size, which was marked unused). A crafted HDF5 file containing an external link whose data is not NULL-terminated, or is too short to hold both strings, causes strlen() to read past the end of the udata heap buffer, and the derived object path pointer may also point outside the buffer. The overrun is unbounded and continues until a zero byte is found. The flaw is triggered when the malicious link is traversed, for example when opening an object through it. An attacker who can get a user or application to access a crafted file can cause a denial of service, and adjacent heap contents may be incorporated into the external file name or object path the library attempts to open.

Record
CVE-2026-120757
CVSS 4.0
6.9 MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Weakness
CWE-125
Updated
2026-11-03
EUVDEUVD-2026-116012 6.9

HDF5 through 2.2.0 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in H5L__extern_traverse() in src/H5Lexternal.c, the default traversal callback for external links. The callback locates the target file name and object path within the link’s user data using strlen() without validating the buffer against its stored size (udata_size, which was marked unused). A crafted HDF5 file containing an external link whose data is not NULL-terminated, or is too short to hold both strings, causes strlen() to read past the end of the udata heap buffer, and the derived object path pointer may also point outside the buffer. The overrun is unbounded and continues until a zero byte is found. The flaw is triggered when the malicious link is traversed, for example when opening an object through it. An attacker who can get a user or application to access a crafted file can cause a denial of service, and adjacent heap contents may be incorporated into the external file name or object path the library attempts to open.

Record
EUVD-2026-116012
CVSS 4.0
6.9 MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-2qgq-73w8-3hrx 6.9

HDF5 through 2.2.0 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in H5L__extern_traverse() in...

HDF5 through 2.2.0 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in H5L__extern_traverse() in src/H5Lexternal.c, the default traversal callback for external links. The callback locates the target file name and object path within the link’s user data using strlen() without validating the buffer against its stored size (udata_size, which was marked unused). A crafted HDF5 file containing an external link whose data is not NULL-terminated, or is too short to hold both strings, causes strlen() to read past the end of the udata heap buffer, and the derived object path pointer may also point outside the buffer. The overrun is unbounded and continues until a zero byte is found. The flaw is triggered when the malicious link is traversed, for example when opening an object through it. An attacker who can get a user or application to access a crafted file can cause a denial of service, and adjacent heap contents may be incorporated into the external file name or object path the library attempts to open.

Record
GHSA-2qgq-73w8-3hrx
CVSS 4.0
6.9 MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:H/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
CVSS 3.1
7.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-125
Updated
2026-11-03
NVD 6.9

HDF5 through 2.2.0 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in H5L__extern_traverse() in src/H5Lexternal.c, the default traversal callback for external links. The callback locates the target file name and object path within the link’s user data using strlen() without validating the buffer against its stored size (udata_size, which was marked unused). A crafted HDF5 file containing an external link whose data is not NULL-terminated, or is too short to hold both strings, causes strlen() to read past the end of the udata heap buffer, and the derived object path pointer may also point outside the buffer. The overrun is unbounded and continues until a zero byte is found. The flaw is triggered when the malicious link is traversed, for example when opening an object through it. An attacker who can get a user or application to access a crafted file can cause a denial of service, and adjacent heap contents may be incorporated into the external file name or object path the library attempts to open.

Record
CVE-2026-120757
CVSS 4.0
6.9 MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:H/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
CVSS 3.1
7.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-125
Updated
2026-11-04
OSV 6.9

Heap Buffer Over-read via Non-Terminated Link Data in H5L__extern_traverse

HDF5 through 2.2.0 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in H5L__extern_traverse() in src/H5Lexternal.c, the default traversal callback for external links. The callback locates the target file name and object path within the link’s user data using strlen() without validating the buffer against its stored size (udata_size, which was marked unused). A crafted HDF5 file containing an external link whose data is not NULL-terminated, or is too short to hold both strings, causes strlen() to read past the end of the udata heap buffer, and the derived object path pointer may also point outside the buffer. The overrun is unbounded and continues until a zero byte is found. The flaw is triggered when the malicious link is traversed, for example when opening an object through it. An attacker who can get a user or application to access a crafted file can cause a denial of service, and adjacent heap contents may be incorporated into the external file name or object path the library attempts to open.

Record
CVE-2026-120757
CVSS 4.0
6.9 MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Weakness
CWE-125
Updated
2026-11-05
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2026-120757 7.1

HDF5 through 2.2.0 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in H5L__extern_traverse() in src/H5Lexternal.c, the default traversal callback for external links. The callback locates the target file name and object path within the link’s user data using strlen() without validating the buffer against its stored size (udata_size, which was marked unused). A crafted HDF5 file containing an external link whose data is not NULL-terminated, or is too short to hold both strings, causes strlen() to read past the end of the udata heap buffer, and the derived object path pointer may also point outside the buffer. The overrun is unbounded and continues until a zero byte is found. The flaw is triggered when the malicious link is traversed, for example when opening an object through it. An attacker who can get a user or application to access a crafted file can cause a denial of service, and adjacent heap contents may be incorporated into the external file name or object path the library attempts to open.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-120757
CVSS 3.1
7.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-04
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2026-120757 6.9

HDF5 through 2.2.0 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in H5L__extern_traverse() in src/H5Lexternal.c, the default traversal callback for external links. The callback locates the target file name and object path within the link’s user data using strlen() without validating the buffer against its stored size (udata_size, which was marked unused). A crafted HDF5 file containing an external link whose data is not NULL-terminated, or is too short to hold both strings, causes strlen() to read past the end of the udata heap buffer, and the derived object path pointer may also point outside the buffer. The overrun is unbounded and continues until a zero byte is found. The flaw is triggered when the malicious link is traversed, for example when opening an object through it. An attacker who can get a user or application to access a crafted file can cause a denial of service, and adjacent heap contents may be incorporated into the external file name or object path the library attempts to open.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-120757
CVSS 4.0
6.9 MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CVSS 3.1
7.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-05
OSVAZL-112637 No score

CVE-2026-120757 affecting package hdf5 1.14.6-6

HDF5 through 2.2.0 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in H5L__extern_traverse() in src/H5Lexternal.c, the default traversal callback for external links. The callback locates the target file name and object path within the link’s user data using strlen() without validating the buffer against its stored size (udata_size, which was marked unused). A crafted HDF5 file containing an external link whose data is not NULL-terminated, or is too short to hold both strings, causes strlen() to read past the end of the udata heap buffer, and the derived object path pointer may also point outside the buffer. The overrun is unbounded and continues until a zero byte is found. The flaw is triggered when the malicious link is traversed, for example when opening an object through it. An attacker who can get a user or application to access a crafted file can cause a denial of service, and adjacent heap contents may be incorporated into the external file name or object path the library attempts to open.

Record
AZL-112637
Updated
2026-11-05

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
hdf5
Azure Linux:3
through 1.14.6-6 None known
hdf5
Debian:12
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.10+repack-11.10.10+repack-21.10.10+repack-31.10.10+repack-3.11.10.10+repack-3.2
Show 45 moreShow less
1.10.10+repack-3.2+ports1.10.10+repack-3.31.10.10+repack-41.10.10+repack-51.10.8+repack1-11.12.0+repack-1~exp11.12.0+repack-1~exp21.12.2+repack-1~exp11.14.3+repack-1~exp11.14.3+repack1-1~exp21.14.3+repack1-1~exp31.14.4.3+repack-1~exp11.14.4.3+repack-1~exp21.14.4.3+repack-1~exp31.14.5+repack-11.14.5+repack-1~exp11.14.5+repack-1~exp21.14.5+repack-1~exp31.14.5+repack-1~exp41.14.5+repack-1~exp51.14.5+repack-1~exp61.14.5+repack-21.14.5+repack-31.14.5+repack-3.11.14.5+repack-3~exp11.14.5+repack-3~exp21.14.5+repack-3~exp31.14.5+repack-3~exp41.14.5+repack-41.14.5+repack-4~exp11.14.5+repack-4~exp21.14.5+repack-5~exp21.14.5+repack-5~exp31.14.6+repack-11.14.6+repack-1~exp11.14.6+repack-1~exp101.14.6+repack-1~exp111.14.6+repack-1~exp121.14.6+repack-1~exp131.14.6+repack-1~exp141.14.6+repack-1~exp151.14.6+repack-1~exp161.14.6+repack-1~exp171.14.6+repack-1~exp181.14.6+repack-1~exp19
None known
hdf5
Debian:13
All versions, plus listed versions
1.14.5+repack-31.14.5+repack-3.11.14.5+repack-41.14.5+repack-4~exp11.14.5+repack-4~exp2
Show 42 moreShow less
1.14.5+repack-5~exp21.14.5+repack-5~exp31.14.6+repack-11.14.6+repack-1~exp11.14.6+repack-1~exp101.14.6+repack-1~exp111.14.6+repack-1~exp121.14.6+repack-1~exp131.14.6+repack-1~exp141.14.6+repack-1~exp151.14.6+repack-1~exp161.14.6+repack-1~exp171.14.6+repack-1~exp181.14.6+repack-1~exp191.14.6+repack-1~exp21.14.6+repack-1~exp201.14.6+repack-1~exp211.14.6+repack-1~exp31.14.6+repack-1~exp41.14.6+repack-1~exp51.14.6+repack-1~exp61.14.6+repack-1~exp71.14.6+repack-1~exp81.14.6+repack-1~exp91.14.6+repack-21.14.6+repack-3~exp12.1.0+repack-12.1.0+repack-1~exp102.1.0+repack-1~exp112.1.0+repack-1~exp32.1.0+repack-1~exp42.1.0+repack-1~exp52.1.0+repack-1~exp62.1.0+repack-1~exp72.1.0+repack-1~exp82.1.0+repack-1~exp92.2.0+repack-12.2.0+repack-22.2.0+repack-32.2.0+repack-42.2.0+repack-52.2.0+repack-6
None known
hdf5
Debian:14
All versions, plus listed versions
1.14.5+repack-31.14.5+repack-3.11.14.5+repack-41.14.5+repack-4~exp11.14.5+repack-4~exp2
Show 42 moreShow less
1.14.5+repack-5~exp21.14.5+repack-5~exp31.14.6+repack-11.14.6+repack-1~exp11.14.6+repack-1~exp101.14.6+repack-1~exp111.14.6+repack-1~exp121.14.6+repack-1~exp131.14.6+repack-1~exp141.14.6+repack-1~exp151.14.6+repack-1~exp161.14.6+repack-1~exp171.14.6+repack-1~exp181.14.6+repack-1~exp191.14.6+repack-1~exp21.14.6+repack-1~exp201.14.6+repack-1~exp211.14.6+repack-1~exp31.14.6+repack-1~exp41.14.6+repack-1~exp51.14.6+repack-1~exp61.14.6+repack-1~exp71.14.6+repack-1~exp81.14.6+repack-1~exp91.14.6+repack-21.14.6+repack-3~exp12.1.0+repack-12.1.0+repack-1~exp102.1.0+repack-1~exp112.1.0+repack-1~exp32.1.0+repack-1~exp42.1.0+repack-1~exp52.1.0+repack-1~exp62.1.0+repack-1~exp72.1.0+repack-1~exp82.1.0+repack-1~exp92.2.0+repack-12.2.0+repack-22.2.0+repack-32.2.0+repack-42.2.0+repack-52.2.0+repack-6
None known
hdf5
Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.8.11-3ubuntu11.8.11-5ubuntu11.8.11-5ubuntu21.8.11-5ubuntu61.8.11-5ubuntu71.8.11-5ubuntu7.11.8.11-5ubuntu7.1+esm11.8.11-5ubuntu7.1+esm2
None known
hdf5
Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.8.15-patch1+docs-41.8.15-patch1+docs-51.8.16+docs-11.8.16+docs-21.8.16+docs-3
Show 6 moreShow less
1.8.16+docs-3ubuntu11.8.16+docs-41.8.16+docs-4ubuntu11.8.16+docs-4ubuntu1.11.8.16+docs-4ubuntu1.1+esm11.8.16+docs-4ubuntu1.1+esm2
None known
hdf5
Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.0-patch1+docs-41.10.0-patch1+docs-4ubuntu0.1~esm11.10.0-patch1+docs-4ubuntu0.1~esm2
None known
hdf5
Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.4+repack-101.10.4+repack-111.10.4+repack-11ubuntu11.10.4+repack-11ubuntu1+esm1
None known
hdf5
Ubuntu:22.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.6+repack-51.10.7+repack-4ubuntu11.10.7+repack-4ubuntu2
None known
hdf5
Ubuntu:24.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.8+repack1-1ubuntu11.10.10+repack-3ubuntu11.10.10+repack-3.1ubuntu31.10.10+repack-3.1ubuntu4
None known
hdf5
Ubuntu:26.10
All versions, plus listed versions
1.14.6+repack-22.2.0+repack-42.2.0+repack-5
None known
hdf5
Ubuntu:26.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.14.5+repack-3build11.14.5+repack-41.14.6+repack-2
None known

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected, aliases, referencesOSV
affected, aliases, referencesOSV
referencesOSV
referencesGitHub Advisories, NVD
publishedEUVD
publishedEUVD, NVD
aliases, referencesCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD
aliases, products, publishedEUVD
first indexedCVE List

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2026-120757 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.9) in Hdfgroup Hdf5, published November 3, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.15%, the 4th percentile. No source names a fixed version.

References

This page doesn't list everything

Left out here: 28 versions. The JSON record has them.

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