CVE-2026-31965
8.2 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2026-31965 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting htslib htslib. It was published on March 18, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2 (HIGH).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical 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.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from htslib. Update htslib to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| htslib | htslib | >= 0, < 1.21.1 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-31965?
CVE-2026-31965 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting htslib htslib. It was published on March 18, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2026-31965?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-31965?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from htslib. Update htslib to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-31965?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2026-31965 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
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