Description
jq is a command-line JSON processor. Prior to 1.8.2, comparing two sufficiently deeply nested arrays with the == operator exhausts the C stack on jq's ordinary command-line surface, resulting in denial of service via stack exhaustion (uncontrolled recursion). The crash occurs in jq's recursive structural comparison code, with the recursion repeating through jvp_array_equal() and jv_equal() in src/jv.c when comparing deeply nested arrays; a nearby sort comparator path through jv_cmp() in src/jv_aux.c overflows the stack at a larger nesting depth from the same missing recursion guard. Anyone running jq comparisons on attacker-controlled deeply nested JSON values, or embedding jq in a context where untrusted data can reach the == comparison path, is affected. This vulnerability is fixed in 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 | 1.8.1-7 | — |
| Debian 13 | jq | 1.7.1-6+deb13u3 | — |
| Debian 12 | jq | 1.6-2.1+deb12u2 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | jq | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | jq | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | jq | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | jq | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | jq | No fix yet | — |
Show 4 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | jq | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | jq | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | jq | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | jq | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images 1 | jq +1 | 1.8.2-0.1.hum1 | RHSA-2026:29986 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
| SLES 15 SP6 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
| SLES 15 SP5 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
| SLES 15 SP4 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
Show 13 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | jq | 1.7.1-160000.5.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:23728-1, SUSE-SU-2026:23707-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP6 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP5 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP4 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | jq | 1.7.1-160000.5.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:23728-1, SUSE-SU-2026:23707-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.2 | jq | 1.7.1-160000.5.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:23671-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.1 | jq | 1.7.1-slfo.1.1_5.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:23735-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.0 | jq | 1.7.1-1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:23873-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.5 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.4 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.3 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP5 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP4 | jq | 1.7.1-150000.3.25.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | jq | 1.8.2-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:11133-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | jq | 1.7.1-160000.5.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21833-1 |
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 2 | jq +1 | 1.6-17.amzn2.0.1 | ALAS2-2026-3496 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | jq | 1.7.1-8 | — |
Advisories 11
- RHSA-2026:29986 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 6, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:23707-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 29, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:23728-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 29, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:23671-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 29, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:23873-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 28, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:23735-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 27, 2026
- WID-SEC-2026-1664 jq: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Denial of Service BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Sep 21, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:4275-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 21, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:21833-1 Security update for jq SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 13, 2026
- ALAS2-2026-3496 Moderate: jq security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jul 7, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:11133-1 jq-1.8.2-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 29, 2026