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Review reviewCritical

CVE-2026-56123

socat

socat versions 1.8.0.0 through 1.8.1.1 contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability that allows a malicious SOCKS5 proxy server to overwrite adjacent heap memory by exploiting a sign-extension flaw in the DOMAINNAME reply parser. During connection setup, the domain name length byte is read through a signed char field causing a negative bytes_to_read value that is implicitly converted to size_t, resulting in an unbounded heap write into the 262-byte reply buffer with attacker-controlled size and content.

CVSS
9.2
EPSS
0.31%
22.8% percentile
CISA KEV
Not listed
Published
2026.06.26
PRIORITY ASSESSMENT

Review review

The CVSS severity warrants an early asset and exposure review.

Known exploitationNot established by KEV
Exploit probability0.31%
Technical severityCVSS 9.2

Vulnerability overview

socat versions 1.8.0.0 through 1.8.1.1 contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability that allows a malicious SOCKS5 proxy server to overwrite adjacent heap memory by exploiting a sign-extension flaw in the DOMAINNAME reply parser. During connection setup, the domain name length byte is read through a signed char field causing a negative bytes_to_read value that is implicitly converted to size_t, resulting in an unbounded heap write into the 262-byte reply buffer with attacker-controlled size and content.

Affected product and versions

Product
socat
Affected versions
1.8.0.0, >= 1.8.0.0 < 1.8.1.2
Fixed versions
1.8.1.2

Recommended response sequence

Confirm exposure before applying a vendor-supported change.

Full remediation guide
  1. 1
    Identify

    Confirm that socat and an affected version are present.

  2. 2
    Prioritize

    Combine exploitation signals with asset exposure and business criticality.

  3. 3
    Remediate

    Follow the vendor advisory or supported update path and preserve rollback options.

  4. 4
    Verify

    Recheck the version, service health, access paths, and relevant logs.

Technical data

CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
CWE
CWE-122
CVE-2026-56123 — socat | SECUFOCUS NOW