cJSON 1.7.19 Wrong-Key Modification via JSON Pointer Escape Decoding
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · High · None
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
cJSON versions 1.5.0 through 1.7.19 contain an incorrectly-resolved name or reference vulnerability in the decode_pointer_inplace() function within cJSON_Utils.c that allows unauthenticated attackers to cause JSON Patch operations to target wrong object keys by supplying crafted JSON Pointer escape sequences (~0 or ~1) in patch paths. Attackers can submit malicious RFC 6902 JSON Patch input to applications using cJSONUtils_ApplyPatches() or cJSONUtils_ApplyPatchesCaseSensitive() to silently corrupt data or delete unintended keys, potentially bypassing authorization controls in applications that rely on JSON Patch for access-controlled data modification.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DaveGamble | cJSON | 1.5.0 – 1.7.19 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- cJSON VendorDaveGamble Affected 1.5.0 – 1.7.19 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE names Threatist (inferred) · 1
Inferred from how NVD named this product before; not given by a source.
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:davegamble:cjson:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | — | — | DaveGamble |
- cpe:2.3:a:davegamble:cjson:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·DaveGamble
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Satellite 6 | Affected | No fix yet |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Hardened Images
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-29036
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-89cr-7g9x-rjgw
References
Other 1
More DaveGamble vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-35424 cJSON 1.5.0 through 1.7.18 allows out-of-bounds access via the… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2023-27613 cJSON v1.7.16 was discovered to contain a segmentation violation via the function cJSON_SetValuestring at cJSON.c. CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2026-59997 DaveGamble cJSON cJSON_Utils.c cJSONUtils_MergePatch use after free CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.9
- TI-2026-47533 cJSON JSON Patch Non-Atomic Application Destroys Data Before Validation CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.9
- TI-2026-47532 cJSON cJSON_Compare Exponential Complexity Denial of Service CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.2
- TI-2019-08871 cJSON before 1.7.11 allows out-of-bounds access, related to multiline comments. CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-29036 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-29036 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-89cr-7g9x-rjgw · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-29036 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences