CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2026-42484 — Hashcat Hashcat security vulnerability

Critical CVSS 9.8

A heap-based buffer overflow in hex_to_binary in the PKZIP hash parser in hashcat v7.1.2 allows an attacker to cause a denial of service or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted PKZIP hash file. The issue affects modules 17200, 17210, 17220, 17225, and 17230. When data_type_enum<=1, attacker-controlled hex data from a user-supplied hash string is decoded into a fixed-size buffer without proper input-length validation.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Published
2026-05-01
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-787

Affected products

  • hashcat / hashcat / 7.1.2

Matched remediation archetype

Buffer bounds, memory safety, and memory corruption

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Identify affected native-code versions, build flags, architectures, parsers, codecs, drivers, and input paths in all shipped artifacts.
  • Determine whether untrusted data reaches the affected routine and the process privilege, sandbox, and network exposure.
  • Confirm statically linked, vendored, firmware, and platform-provided copies, not only package-manager records.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the maintained upstream correction or replace the affected component, then rebuild every dependent artifact from clean inputs.
  • Adopt bounds-checked interfaces, validated sizes and integer conversions, clear ownership, and memory-safe components where practical.
  • Enable supported compiler and runtime hardening and add sanitized tests and fuzz regression seeds derived from non-weaponized fixtures.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

The detailed catalog view below loads this exact record, its source evidence, and the full seven-phase agentic change plan.