Description
jq is a command-line JSON processor. In versions 1.8.1 and below, functions jv_setpath(), jv_getpath(), and delpaths_sorted() in jq's src/jv_aux.c use unbounded recursion whose depth is controlled by the length of a caller-supplied path array, with no depth limit enforced. An attacker can supply a JSON document containing a flat array of ~65,000 integers (~200 KB) that, when used as a path argument by a trusted jq filter, exhausts the C call stack and crashes the process with a segmentation fault (SIGSEGV). This bypass works because the existing MAX_PARSING_DEPTH (10,000) limit only protects the JSON parser, not runtime path operations where arrays can be programmatically constructed to arbitrary lengths. The impact is denial of service (unrecoverable crash) affecting any application or service that processes untrusted JSON input through jq's setpath, getpath, or delpaths builtins. This issue has been addressed in commit fb59f1491058d58bdc3e8dd28f1773d1ac690a1f.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| jqlang | jq | < fb59f1491058d58bdc3e8dd28f1773d1ac690a1f | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | jq | 1.8.1-5 | — |
| Debian 13 | jq | 1.7.1-6+deb13u2 | — |
| Debian 12 | jq | 1.6-2.1+deb12u2 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | jq | 1.8.1-4ubuntu2 | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | jq | 1.8.1-3ubuntu1.1 | USN-8202-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | jq | 1.7.1-3ubuntu0.24.04.2 | USN-8202-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | jq | 1.6-2.1ubuntu3.2 | USN-8202-1 |
Show 4 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | jq | 1.6-1ubuntu0.20.04.1+esm2 | USN-8202-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | jq | 1.5+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1~esm2 | USN-8202-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | jq | 1.5+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1+esm4 | USN-8202-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | jq | 1.3-1.1ubuntu1.1+esm4 | USN-8202-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images 1 | jq +1 | 1.8.1-3.hum1 | RHSA-2026:8579 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | jq | 1.6-150000.3.20.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2983-1 |
Show 8 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | jq | 1.7.1-160000.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22566-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | jq | 1.7.1-160000.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22566-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.2 | jq | 1.7.1-160000.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22545-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.1 | jq | 1.7.1-slfo.1.1_3.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22664-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.0 | jq | 1.6-6.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22705-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.5 | jq | 1.6-150000.3.20.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2983-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.4 | jq | 1.6-150000.3.20.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2983-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.3 | jq | 1.6-150000.3.20.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2983-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | jq | 1.8.1-3.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:10850-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | jq | 1.7.1-160000.3.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21248-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | jq | 1.8.2-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | jq | 1.8.2-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | jq | 1.8.2-r0 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | jq +1 | 1.8.1-59.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1815 |
| Amazon Linux 2 | jq +1 | 1.6-17.amzn2.0.1 | ALAS2-2026-3496 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | jq | 1.7.1-5 | — |
Advisories 11
- RHSA-2026:8579 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 6, 2026
- USN-8202-1 jq vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Aug 31, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:22705-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 23, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:22664-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 21, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:22566-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 15, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:2983-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 15, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:22545-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 14, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:21248-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 9, 2026
- ALAS2-2026-3496 Moderate: jq security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jul 7, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1815 Moderate: jq security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 8, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:10850-1 jq-1.8.1-3.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · May 25, 2026