# CVE-2026-43895: Path traversal in jq

> Attackers can bypass redaction policies by using embedded NUL bytes in import paths, causing jq to expose sensitive fields in published artifacts.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 11 May 2026
- **Updated:** 13 May 2026
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2026-43895, AZL-86378, BELL-CVE-2026-43895, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-43895, ECHO-98fd-319d-20dc, GHSA-7q7g-mrq3-phxr, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-43895

## What is CVE-2026-43895?

CVE-2026-43895 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in jqlang jq, published on 11 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

jq is a command-line JSON processor. In 1.8.1 and earlier, jq accepts embedded NUL bytes in import paths at the jq-language level, but later resolves those paths through C string operations during module and data-file lookup. This creates a mismatch between the logical import string that policy or audit code may validate and the on-disk path that jq actually opens.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation), CWE-158 (Improper Neutralization of Null Byte or NUL Character)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43895?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Jqlang Jq.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-43895?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-43895 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-43895 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in jqlang jq

- [CVE-2026-32316](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-32316/): jq: Integer overflow in jvp_string_append() allows Heap-based Buffer Overflow (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2024-53427](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53427/): Memory corruption in jq (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2025-48060](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48060/): AddressSanitizer: stack-buffer-overflow in jq_fuzz_execute (jv_string_vfmt) (high 7.7)
- [CVE-2023-49355](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-49355/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2026-49839](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-49839/): jq --rawfile invalid-state reuse after String too long causes heap-buffer-overflow (high 7.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-43895 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-43895 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in jqlang jq, published on 11 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-43895 exists.

Affected product: jqlang jq. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43895/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43895/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43895
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43895
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-43895

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43895/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.