CVE-2026-74766: Use-After-Free (CVSS 8.4)

Description

Net::IDN::Punycode versions from 2.301 before 2.590 for Perl allow a heap use-after-free via a decoded code point that reallocates the output buffer in decode_punycode. The XS backend inserts each decoded code point into the string buffer of the scalar it returns. decode_punycode computes the insertion pointer first and only then grows the buffer when the code point does not fit. The growth reallocates the buffer and updates every pointer except the insertion pointer, so the move that follows and the write of the code point go through a freed pointer. The buffer starts at twice the label length, and a code point above U+FFFF takes four bytes in the output, so a label of such code points outgrows it and forces the reallocation. Version 2.301, the fix for CVE-2016-15059, introduced the defect. Only the XS backend is affected. Decoding an attacker-supplied punycode label reads and writes freed heap memory.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

8.4

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0019

Probability of exploitation

0.08%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-416 Use After Free

References

Other References

https://github.com/robrwo/Net-IDN-Encode/commit/259e74c5739175b063c5393a4ce4a0705678ba61.patch https://github.com/robrwo/Net-IDN-Encode/commit/2fbc71e4d8517ab65c5d5d35fda086371b735a3f.patch https://metacpan.org/release/PJCJ/Net-IDN-Encode-2.590-TRIAL/changes https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-15059

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-74766? +

Net::IDN::Punycode versions from 2.301 before 2.590 for Perl allow a heap use-after-free via a decoded code point that reallocates the output buffer in decode_punycode. The XS backend inserts each decoded code point into the string buffer of the scalar it returns. decode_punycode computes the insertion pointer first and only then grows the buffer when the code point does not fit. The growth reallocates the buffer and updates every pointer except the insertion pointer, so the move that follows and the write of the code point go through a freed pointer. The buffer starts at twice the label length, and a code point above U+FFFF takes four bytes in the output, so a label of such code points outgrows it and forces the reallocation. Version 2.301, the fix for CVE-2016-15059, introduced the defect. Only the XS backend is affected. Decoding an attacker-supplied punycode label reads and writes freed heap memory. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.4 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-74766? +

CVE-2026-74766 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.4 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0019, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-74766? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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