SOC status:Duty analyst on shift

UK Cyber Defence
VulnerabilityAwaiting Analysis

CVE-2026-78497

JQ::Lite versions before 2.51 for Perl execute Perl code embedded in a query's regular expression by compiling it with string eval.

HIGH 8.4EPSS 0.20%

Does this matter?

High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.20%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.

Description

JQ::Lite versions before 2.51 for Perl execute Perl code embedded in a query's regular expression by compiling it with string eval. The pattern given to test(), match(), or the match and =~ conditions of select() is placed in a `qr'...'` literal and compiled as source text, so a `(?{ ... })` code block in it runs without `use re 'eval'`. Single quotes in the pattern are escaped, but a code block runs in place and needs none. An attacker who supplies a query, or text that an application inserts into the pattern of one, can execute arbitrary Perl code in the calling process.

CVSS 3.1
8.4 HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS
0.20% probability · 9th percentile
Public exploits
None in Exploit-DB
CISA KEV
Not listed
Weakness
CWE-95
Source
9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e
EPSS trend
0%3%5%19 October 2026: 0.17%26 October 2026: 0.20%19 October 202626 October 2026

EPSS moved from 0.2% on 19 October 2026 to 0.2% on 26 October 2026.

Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.