# CVE-2026-73194: DBI versions before 1.652 for Perl allow a heap out-of-bounds write via an unvalidated numeric placeholder that sets the binder counter in preparse.

> Heap out-of-bounds write in Perl DBI allows attackers to execute code or crash the application via crafted SQL placeholders.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** ALSA-2026:69112, ALSA-2026:70753, ALSA-2026:71422, ALSA-2026:71608, AZL-96704, BELL-CVE-2026-73194, CLSA-2026-1790834869, CLSA-2026-1790835624, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-73194, ECHO-bdf0-0082-c899, GHSA-623j-hfpc-mrc4, MINI-v77m-7v7r-ghqp, OESA-2026-3477, OESA-2026-3478, RHSA-2026:69112, RHSA-2026:70753, RHSA-2026:71422, RHSA-2026:71608, RLSA-2026:69112, RLSA-2026:70753, RLSA-2026:71422, RLSA-2026:71608, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-73194

## What is CVE-2026-73194?

CVE-2026-73194 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in perl-DBI, published on 15 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

DBI versions before 1.652 for Perl allow a heap out-of-bounds write via an unvalidated numeric placeholder that sets the binder counter in preparse.

preparse reserves seven output bytes per input byte, the width of the longest ':p99999' expansion. The ':N' branch parses the number with `atoi(src)` and assigns it to the binder counter with no range check, so a statement containing ':2147483648' leaves the counter negative (-2147483648 with glibc, where atoi wraps). Each following '?' then expands through `sprintf(start, ":p%d", idx++)` to ':p-2147483648', 14 bytes with the terminating NUL where the buffer budgets 7. The placeholder limit added in 1.650 tests the counter against 99,999, which a negative counter passes.

Any caller that preparses an untrusted statement into ':pN' style placeholders gets a heap out-of-bounds write that grows with the number of '?' marks following the poisoned placeholder. The '?' and '%s' return styles compare the parsed number against the expected sequence and error out, and are unaffected.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), CWE-1284 (Improper Validation of Specified Quantity in Input)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-73194?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `perl-DBI` | AlmaLinux:10 | All versions | 1.643-26.el10_2.6 |
| `perl-DBI` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.641-10.module_el8.10.0+4282+4ee1dbd0 |
| `perl-DBI` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.641-3.el8_10 |
| `perl-DBI` | AlmaLinux:9 | All versions | 1.643-9.el9_8.6 |
| `perl-DBI` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2 | All versions | 0:1.643-26.el10_2.6 |
| `perl-DBI-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2 | All versions | 0:1.643-26.el10_2.6 |
| `perl-DBI-debugsource` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2 | All versions | 0:1.643-26.el10_2.6 |
| `perl-DBI` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.641-10.module+el8.10.0+24875+bc962974 |
| `perl-DBI-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.641-10.module+el8.10.0+24875+bc962974 |
| `perl-DBI-debugsource` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.641-10.module+el8.10.0+24875+bc962974 |
| `perl-DBI` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseos | All versions | 0:1.641-3.el8_10 |
| `perl-DBI-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseos | All versions | 0:1.641-3.el8_10 |
| `perl-DBI-debugsource` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseos | All versions | 0:1.641-3.el8_10 |
| `perl-DBI` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:1.643-9.el9_8.6 |
| `perl-DBI-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:1.643-9.el9_8.6 |
| `perl-DBI-debugsource` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:1.643-9.el9_8.6 |
| `perl-DBI` | Rocky Linux:10 | All versions | 0:1.643-26.el10_2.6 |
| `perl-DBI` | Rocky Linux:8 | All versions | 0:1.641-10.module+el8.10.0+40328+0878361a |
| `perl-DBI` | Rocky Linux:8 | All versions | 0:1.641-10.module+el8.10.0+40328+3ea70367 |
| `perl-DBI` | Rocky Linux:8 | All versions | 0:1.641-10.module+el8.10.0+40328+bc090241 |
| `perl-DBI` | Rocky Linux:8 | All versions | 0:1.641-10.module+el8.10.0+40328+f4c7f87b |
| `perl-DBI` | Rocky Linux:8 | All versions | 0:1.641-3.el8_10 |
| `perl-DBI` | Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:1.643-9.el9_8.6 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-73194?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-73194 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-73194 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-73194 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-73194 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in perl-DBI, published on 15 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-73194 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: perl-DBI. 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-2026-73194/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-73194/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-73194
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-73194
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-73194

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-73194/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.