CVE-2026-40499 radareorg CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders responsible for radare2 installations, security teams assessing exposure, and developers using radare2 should verify versions and update to 6.1.4 or later. Additionally, defenders should assess their exposure, monitor for suspicious activity, and implement compensating controls to restrict idp command execution. Security teams should review relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review.

Why it matters

CVE-2026-40499 is a command injection vulnerability in radare2's PDB parser. Defenders should verify radare2 versions, update to 6.1.4 or later, assess exposure, and monitor for suspicious activity.

• Verify radare2 versions to determine exposure
• Update to 6.1.4 or later to prevent command injection
• Monitor idp command usage for suspicious activity
• Implement compensating controls to restrict idp command execution

Technical summary

The vulnerability exists in radare2's PDB parser's print_gvars() function, allowing attackers to inject r2 commands by embedding a newline byte in the PE section header name field of a malicious PDB file. This enables attackers to execute arbitrary commands when the idp command processes the file. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation in the PDB parser. Affected users should update to version 6.1.4 or later to prevent exploitation. The vulnerability has a high CVSS score of 8.4, indicating a significant threat to affected systems.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize verifying radare2 versions and updating to 6.1.4 or later, assessing exposure through inventory checks, and monitoring for suspicious idp command usage.

Recommended defensive actions

• Verify radare2 versions and update to 6.1.4 or later
• Assess exposure through inventory checks
• Monitor for suspicious idp command usage
• Implement compensating controls to restrict idp command execution
• Review relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD entry provide details on the vulnerability, its impact, and affected versions. However, verification of exploitation and actual impact is required. The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, and attackers may attempt to exploit it. Defenders should verify radare2 versions, assess exposure, and monitor for suspicious activity. The CVE Program and NVD provide official records and details on the vulnerability.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.