Application crash via inconsistent array datatype metadata
Published Jul 20, 2026 · Updated Jul 20, 2026
Out-of-bounds reads in HDF5 before 2.0.0 allow remote attackers to crash applications that process a maliciously altered file. H5Odtype.c stores the total array datatype size, element count, and parent element size separately without verifying that total size equals count multiplied by element size. Exploitation requires an application or bundled tool such as h5dump or h5repack to parse a deliberately corrupted HDF5 file; the demonstrated consequence is a crash or stack corruption, not data disclosure.
Summary
What happened
Out-of-bounds reads in HDF5 before 2.0.0 allow remote attackers to crash applications that process a maliciously altered file. H5Odtype.c stores the total array datatype size, element count, and parent element size separately without verifying that total size equals count multiplied by element size. Exploitation requires an application or bundled tool such as h5dump or h5repack to parse a deliberately corrupted HDF5 file; the demonstrated consequence is a crash or stack corruption, not data disclosure.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-26197
- Published
- Jul 20, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 20, 2026
- Vendor
- The HDF Group
- Product
- HDF5
- Classifications
- CWE-125, T1204.002
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 20, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 20, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=< 2.0.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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