CVE-2026-40164: jq: Algorithmic complexity DoS via hardcoded MurmurHash3 seed

Published Apr 13, 2026
·
Updated

jq is a command-line JSON processor. Before commit 0c7d133c3c7e37c00b6d46b658a02244fdd3c784, jq used MurmurHash3 with a hardcoded, publicly visible seed (0x432A9843) for all JSON object hash table operations, which allowed an attacker to precompute key collisions offline. By supplying a crafted JSON object (~100 KB) where all keys hashed to the same bucket, hash table lookups degraded from O(1) to O(n), turning any jq expression into an O(n²) operation and causing significant CPU exhaustion. This affected common jq use cases such as CI/CD pipelines, web services, and data processing scripts, and was far more practical to exploit than existing heap overflow issues since it required only a small payload. This issue has been patched in commit 0c7d133c3c7e37c00b6d46b658a02244fdd3c784.

Affected Software

4 affected componentsFixes available
Stedolan jq<0c7d133c3c7e37c00b6d46b658a02244fdd3c784
Microsoft azl3 jq 1.7.1-4
Microsoft cbl2 jq 1.6-5
debian/jq<=1.6-2.1, <=1.6-2.1+deb11u1, <=1.6-2.1+deb12u1
1.7.1-6+deb13u21.8.1-51.8.1-6

Event History

Apr 13, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·11:40 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·11:40 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Apr 14, 2026
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·12:01 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via NVD·12:16 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Apr 17, 2026
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:01 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·08:01 AM
DescriptionSeverity
Updated
via Microsoft·08:01 AM
Affected Software
May 21, 2026
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·07:44 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Debian·07:45 AM
DescriptionAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·07:45 AM
Description
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-40164?

CVE-2026-40164 is classified as a medium severity vulnerability that allows for algorithmic complexity denial of service attacks.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-40164?

To mitigate CVE-2026-40164, upgrade jq to a version after commit 0c7d133c3c7e37c00b6d46b658a02244fdd3c784.

3

What versions of jq are affected by CVE-2026-40164?

CVE-2026-40164 affects jq versions up to but not including 0c7d133c3c7e37c00b6d46b658a02244fdd3c784.

4

How does CVE-2026-40164 affect jq's performance?

CVE-2026-40164 can lead to performance degradation and potential denial of service due to its algorithmic complexity vulnerability.

5

Is CVE-2026-40164 a remote vulnerability?

CVE-2026-40164 can be exploited locally by an attacker providing specially crafted JSON input to trigger the vulnerability.

Contact

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