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Yaml CVE-2026-4177

| EUVDEUVD-2026-12523 CRITICAL
Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122)
2026-03-16 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e
9.1
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Craft YAML with oversized class name
  2. Exploit
    Trigger heap buffer overflow in emitter
  3. Impact
    Leak sensitive memory or crash application

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

YAML::Syck Perl module versions ≤1.36 processing untrusted YAML input with class names exceeding 512 bytes. No authentication required; remote exploitation via network-accessible YAML parsing.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 score of 9.1 reflects the severity accurately given the network attack vector (AV:N), low complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and no user interaction needed (UI:N), with high impacts to both confidentiality and availability. The vulnerability allows remote code execution through crafted YAML input, making it particularly dangerous for web applications or services processing user-supplied YAML. While no EPSS score or KEV listing is mentioned in the provided data, the existence of patches and detailed technical analysis suggests this is a well-understood vulnerability. The combination of remote exploitability, no authentication requirements, and potential for code execution makes this a critical priority for patching.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker could craft a malicious YAML document with an excessively long class name (over 512 bytes) and send it to a vulnerable application's YAML parsing endpoint, triggering a heap buffer overflow that could lead to arbitrary code execution on the server. Given the network attack vector and low complexity, this could be automated to scan for and exploit vulnerable services at scale. The lack of authentication requirements means any exposed YAML parsing functionality becomes a potential entry point for compromise.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.
Patch available 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 17, 2026

A critical heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists in YAML::Syck through version 1.36 for Perl, allowing remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service without authentication. The vulnerability stems from multiple memory corruption issues including heap overflow when processing YAML class names exceeding 512 bytes, buffer overread in base64 decoding, and memory leaks. With a CVSS score of 9.1 and network-based attack vector requiring no user interaction, this presents a severe risk to applications parsing untrusted YAML input.

RemediationAI

Upgrade YAML::Syck to version 1.37_01 or later immediately, which includes the patch available at https://github.com/cpan-authors/YAML-Syck/commit/e8844a31c8cf0052914b198fc784ed4e6b8ae69e.patch. If immediate patching is not possible, implement strict input validation on all YAML data before processing, limit the size of YAML documents accepted, and consider running YAML processing in isolated environments with restricted permissions. Applications should also audit their use of YAML::Syck to identify all instances where untrusted input might be processed.

Affected VersionsENISA

YAML::Syck 0 ≤1.36

Affected Packages

euvd yaml_syck no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

YAML::Syck is a Perl module providing a fast YAML 1.0 loader and dumper based on the libyaml library. The vulnerability manifests as a heap buffer overflow (CWE-122) in the YAML emitter component when processing class names that exceed the initially allocated 512-byte buffer. Additional memory safety issues include the base64 decoder reading past buffer boundaries on trailing newlines, strtok mutations corrupting shared node data structures, and memory leaks in anchor handling. These flaws affect the core parsing and emission logic used when processing YAML documents, making any Perl application using YAML::Syck vulnerable when handling untrusted input.

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Severity by source

Vendor (9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e) PRIMARY 9.1 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
SUSE CRITICAL
Red Hat 7.3 HIGH

Primary rating from Vendor (9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e).

CVSS VectorVendor: 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

YAML::Syck versions through 1.36 for Perl has several potential security vulnerabilities including a high-severity heap buffer overflow in the YAML emitter.

The heap overflow occurs when class names exceed the initial 512-byte allocation.

The base64 decoder could read past the buffer end on trailing newlines.

strtok mutated n->type_id in place, corrupting shared node data.

A memory leak occurred in syck_hdlr_add_anchor when a node already had an anchor. The incoming anchor string 'a' was leaked on early return.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-4177 presents critical security risk, a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability rated CVSS 9.1. Exploitation could allow attackers to corrupt memory, crash the application, or potentially execute arbitrary code. Organizations should apply vendor updates immediately when available and implement compensating controls in the interim.

Business Impact: Severe
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch. If immediate patching is not feasible: (1) Enable ASLR and DEP where available; (2) Implement network segmentation; (3) Monitor for exploitation indicators.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 100% exploitable
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Out-of-Cycle
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact
Very High

Priority Score

46
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +46
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

A heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.

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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Critical
Product Status
SUSE Liberty Linux 8 Fixed
openSUSE Tumbleweed Fixed

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