CVE-2026-81885 radareorg CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders responsible for radare2 installations should assess exposure and prioritize verification and potential upgrades to version 6.2.0. Affected operator, platform, vulnerability-management, and security-team impact should be considered when evaluating the vulnerability. Defenders should review the supplied official advisory or CVE record to validate affected scope, severity, and vendor guidance. They should also plan vendor-supported updates or mitig

Why it matters

CVE-2026-81885 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in radare2 that can cause continuous CPU and memory consumption. Defenders responsible for radare2 installations should assess exposure and prioritize verification and potential upgrades to version 6.2.0.

• Denial of service through continuous CPU consumption
• Denial of service through continuous memory consumption
• Verification of radare2 installations and potential upgrades

Technical summary

The NE relocation fixup-chain parser in radare2 versions prior to 6.2.0 is vulnerable to denial of service. The parser does not have an active iteration limit or cycle detection, leading to continuous CPU and memory consumption when processing a crafted NE executable. This can cause denial of service through continuous CPU and memory consumption. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.5 and a severity of MEDIUM. Defenders should prioritize verifying radare2 installations and upgrading to version 6.2.0 if necessary.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize verifying radare2 installations and upgrading to version 6.2.0 if necessary.

Recommended defensive actions

• Verify radare2 installations and check for version 6.2.0 or later
• Upgrade to radare2 version 6.2.0 if necessary
• Monitor for potential denial-of-service attacks
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
• Check 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 vulnerability is caused by a flawed NE relocation fixup-chain parser in radare2 versions prior to 6.2.0. The parser does not have an active iteration limit or cycle detection, leading to denial of service through continuous CPU and memory consumption.

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.