What is CVE-2026-29036?
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.
The record classifies CVE-2026-29036 under weakness class CWE-706. Its CVSS v3 base vector states that the flaw is reachable remotely over the network, needs no prior authentication, needs no user interaction, and has high impact on integrity. 1 affected-product entry is recorded, across 1 vendor, listed below. The identifier was first published 55 days ago.
Severity and exploitation probability
- CVSS v3.1 base score
- 7.5 — HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - CVSS v4.0 base score
- 8.7
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - EPSS (FIRST)
- 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 17.5% of all scored CVEs
- CISA KEV
- Not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- Threadlinqs priority
- 4.5/10 — a Threadlinqs composite of the CVSS base score, the EPSS percentile and public exploit availability
- Published
- 2026-08-11
Is CVE-2026-29036 being exploited?
It currently carries a trending score of 34 in the Threadlinqs vulnerability feed.
Affected products and versions
- DaveGamble: cJSON
How to fix CVE-2026-29036
No vendor patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2026-29036 in the tracked sources. Follow the references below for a fix, and treat the products listed above as exposed until the vendor states otherwise.
Threat activity tracking CVE-2026-29036
No threat campaign in the Threadlinqs corpus currently references CVE-2026-29036, in its CVE list or as an indicator. The linkage is recomputed from the live corpus on every daily ingest, so this section fills in as soon as a tracked campaign cites the identifier.
Sources
Enriched from CVE.org, NVD, FIRST EPSS, GitHub Security Advisories. Last verified by Threadlinqs on . This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.