CVE-2026-31972
9.8 · CRITICALOverview
CVE-2026-31972 is a critical-severity vulnerability affecting samtools samtools. It was published on March 18, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
SAMtools is a program for reading, manipulating and writing bioinformatics file formats. The `mpileup` command outputs DNA sequences that have been aligned against a known reference. On each output line it writes the reference position, optionally the reference DNA base at that position (obtained from a separate file) and all of the DNA bases that aligned to that position. As the output is ordered by position, reference data that is no longer needed is discarded once it has been printed out. Under certain conditions the data could be discarded too early, leading to an attempt to read from a pointer to freed memory. This bug may allow information about program state to be leaked. It may also cause a program crash through an attempt to access invalid memory. This bug is fixed in versions 1.21.1 and 1.22. There is no workaround for this issue.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from samtools. Update samtools 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| samtools | samtools | >= 0, < 1.21.1 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-31972?
CVE-2026-31972 is a critical-severity vulnerability affecting samtools samtools. It was published on March 18, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).
How severe is CVE-2026-31972?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-31972?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from samtools. Update samtools 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-2026-31972?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2026-31972 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.
How CyberStrike Helps
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