SAMtools is a program for reading, manipulating and writing bioinformatics file formats. Starting in version 1.17, in the cram-size command, used to write information about how well CRAM files are compressed, a check to see if the `cram_decode_compression_header()` was missing. If the function returned an error, this could lead to a NULL pointer dereference. Exploiting this bug causes a NULL pointer dereference. Typically this will cause the program to crash. Versions 1.23.1, 1.22.2 and 1.21.1 include fixes for this issue. There is no workaround for this issue.
References
| Link | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/samtools/samtools/commit/06fc2a219b3d7c94d3f412c09f6d1efd51199f2f | Patch |
| https://github.com/samtools/samtools/security/advisories/GHSA-x86f-q6fj-cm43 | Vendor Advisory |
| http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/18/12 | Mailing List Third Party Advisory |
Configurations
Configuration 1 (hide)
|
History
19 Mar 2026, 18:48
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| CPE | cpe:2.3:a:samtools:samtools:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:a:samtools:samtools:1.23:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
|
| First Time |
Samtools samtools
Samtools |
|
| CVSS |
v2 : v3 : |
v2 : unknown
v3 : 7.5 |
| References | () https://github.com/samtools/samtools/commit/06fc2a219b3d7c94d3f412c09f6d1efd51199f2f - Patch | |
| References | () https://github.com/samtools/samtools/security/advisories/GHSA-x86f-q6fj-cm43 - Vendor Advisory | |
| References | () http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/18/12 - Mailing List, Third Party Advisory |
19 Mar 2026, 00:16
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| New CVE |
Information
Published : 2026-03-18 21:16
Updated : 2026-03-19 18:48
NVD link : CVE-2026-31973
Mitre link : CVE-2026-31973
CVE.ORG link : CVE-2026-31973
JSON object : View
Products Affected
samtools
- samtools
CWE
CWE-476
NULL Pointer Dereference