Description
Cpanel::JSON::XS versions before 4.41 for Perl allow denial of service via UTF-8 BOM prefixed input when a decode filter callback throws.
To skip a leading 3-byte UTF-8 BOM, decode_json() advances the input scalar's string pointer past the mark with SvPV_set() and restores it only on the normal return path. When decoding aborts through a Perl exception, for example a filter_json_object callback that croaks, the restore is skipped and the scalar is left with its string pointer offset into its own buffer and a shortened length.
When that scalar is later freed, the allocator receives an invalid pointer and the interpreter aborts. A single BOM prefixed document decoded with a throwing filter callback crashes any caller.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| RURBAN | Cpanel::JSON::XS | < 4.41 | 4.41 |
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 | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | 4.41-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | libcpanel-json-xs-perl | No fix yet | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | perl-Cpanel-JSON-XS | 4.380.0-150700.3.6.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4926-1, SUSE-SU-2026:2782-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | perl-Cpanel-JSON-XS | 4.410.0-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:10950-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | perl-Cpanel-JSON-XS | 4.420.0-bp160.1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21140-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perl-Cpanel-JSON-XS | 4.25-2.amzn2023.0.9 | ALAS2023-2026-1829 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | perl-Cpanel-JSON-XS | No fix yet | — |
Advisories 5
- SUSE-SU-2026:4926-1 Security update for perl-Cpanel-JSON-XS SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Oct 29, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:2782-1 Security update for perl-Cpanel-JSON-XS SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:21140-1 Security update for perl-Cpanel-JSON-XS SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 30, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1829 Moderate: perl-Cpanel-JSON-XS security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 22, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:10950-1 perl-Cpanel-JSON-XS-4.410.0-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 4, 2026