UBUNTU-CVE-2026-100290: Medium severity ubuntu/eglibc vulnerability
The regcomp and regexec functions in the GNU C Library version 2.3 to version 2.44 may read freed memory and free the same heap block twice when a memory allocation fails while a regular expression is compiled or matched. The redfaaddnode (the NFA node table) and buildrangeexp (bracket ranges) grow several arrays with consecutive realloc calls and store the new pointers only after all of them succeed. When a later call fails, the pattern buffer keeps pointers to blocks that were already freed, and the error cleanup frees them again. In regexec, the back-reference cache (matchctxaddentry) frees its array when a realloc fails but keeps the pointer, which is freed again on the error path. An attacker does not need to supply a crafted regular expression: patterns large enough to grow these arrays are common. The failure has to hit a specific allocation, though, so the issue can only be reached when the system is already under memory pressure. An attacker who supplies the pattern or the subject string has little control over which allocation fails, so the expected impact is a crash of the process. This issue affects all architectures and ABIs supported by the GNU C Library.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which systems are exposed?
Systems using GNU C Library versions 2.3 through 2.44 are affected. The issue applies to all GNU C Library-supported architectures and ABIs.
What conditions are required for exploitation?
A memory allocation must fail at a specific point while a regular expression is compiled or matched. This is reachable only when the system is already under memory pressure.
Does exploitation require a specially crafted regular expression?
No. Patterns large enough to grow the affected internal arrays are common, although an attacker has limited control over which allocation fails.
What impact should be expected?
The expected impact is a crash of the affected process due to use of freed memory or a double free during error handling.