Vulnerability Description
HTSlib is a library for reading and writing bioinformatics file formats. CRAM is a compressed format which stores DNA sequence alignment data. In the `cram_decode_slice()` function called while reading CRAM records, validation of the reference id field occurred too late, allowing two out of bounds reads to occur before the invalid data was detected. The bug does allow two values to be leaked to the caller, however as the function reports an error it may be difficult to exploit them. It is also possible that the program will crash due to trying to access invalid memory. Versions 1.23.1, 1.22.2 and 1.21.1 include fixes for this issue. There is no workaround for this issue.
CVSS Score
HIGH
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Htslib | Htslib | < 1.21.1 |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://github.com/samtools/htslib/commit/9cefb46453ad471e933b8212d4f45920524d33Patch
- https://github.com/samtools/htslib/security/advisories/GHSA-mqm2-v645-3qhrPatchVendor Advisory
FAQ
What is CVE-2026-31965?
CVE-2026-31965 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 8.2 (HIGH). HTSlib is a library for reading and writing bioinformatics file formats. CRAM is a compressed format which stores DNA sequence alignment data. In the `cram_decode_slice()` function called while readin...
How severe is CVE-2026-31965?
CVE-2026-31965 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 8.2/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-31965?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Htslib Htslib.