CVE-2026-16554

Public on 2026-07-27
Modified on 2026-07-31
Description
cJSON library is vulnerable to an integer overflow in the print_string_ptr() function in cJSON.c on 32-bit platforms. The escape_characters counter, a 32-bit size_t, can wrap around when processing strings containing approximately 858,993,460 or more control characters, causing the output buffer to be allocated based on an underestimated length. When cJSON_PrintBuffered() is used with a pre-allocated buffer, the subsequent write loop overflows the heap allocation. An attacker supplying a crafted JSON string to an application using cJSON on a 32-bit platform can cause a heap buffer overflow, potentially leading to remote code execution, information disclosure, or denial of service.




Because project creator contact attempts were unsuccessful, the vulnerability has only been confirmed in version 1.7.19 but may also affect other versions.
Severity
Medium severity
Medium
See what this means
CVSS v3 Base Score
5.9
See breakdown

Affected Packages

Platform Package Release Date Advisory Status
Amazon Linux 2023 ostree Not Affected
Amazon Linux 2 - Core tree Not Affected
Amazon Linux 2023 tree Not Affected

CVSS Scores

Score Type Score Vector
Amazon Linux CVSSv3 5.9 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L