CVE-2026-40164: jq: Algorithmic complexity DoS via hardcoded MurmurHash3 seed
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
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
How do I fix CVE-2026-40164?
To mitigate CVE-2026-40164, upgrade jq to a version after commit 0c7d133c3c7e37c00b6d46b658a02244fdd3c784.
What versions of jq are affected by CVE-2026-40164?
CVE-2026-40164 affects jq versions up to but not including 0c7d133c3c7e37c00b6d46b658a02244fdd3c784.
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.
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.