Description
jq is a command-line JSON processor. Prior to version 1.8.2, the _strindices builtin in jq's src/builtin.c passes its arguments directly to jv_string_indexes() without verifying they are strings, and jv_string_indexes() in src/jv.c relies solely on assert() checks that are stripped in release builds compiled with -DNDEBUG. This allows an attacker to crash jq trivially with input like _strindices(0), and by crafting a numeric value whose IEEE-754 bit pattern maps to a chosen pointer, achieve a controlled pointer dereference and limited memory read/probe primitive. Any deployment that evaluates untrusted jq filters against a release build is vulnerable. This issue has been patched in commit fdf8ef0f0810e3d365cdd5160de43db46f57ed03, which is part of version 1.8.2.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| jqlang | jq | < 1.8.2 | — |
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