CVE-2026-21869

CVSS 8.8 HighEPSS 0.4%
  • CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • Published: 2026-01-08T00:16:00.297

llama.cpp is an inference of several LLM models in C/C++. In commits 55d4206c8 and prior, the n_discard parameter is parsed directly from JSON input in the llama.cpp server’s completion endpoints without validation to ensure it’s non-negative. When a negative value is supplied and the context fills up, llama_memory_seq_rm/add receives a reversed range and negative offset, causing out-of-bounds memory writes in the token evaluation loop. This deterministic memory corruption can crash the process or enable remote code execution (RCE). There is no fix at the time of publication.

Related CVE by CWE

No related CWE found.

Top CVE for Vendor

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Recently Exploited Similar Vulnerabilities

No recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.

How to fix CVE-2026-21869

CVE-2026-21869 is a high severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: llama.cpp is an inference of several LLM models in C/C++. In commits 55d4206c8 and prior, the n_discard parameter is parsed directly from JSON input in the llama.cpp server’s completion endpoints without validation to ensure it’s non-negative. When a negative value is supplied and the context fills up, llama_memory_seq_rm/add receives a reversed range and negative offset, […]

Exploit Difficulty: MEDIUM
⏱️ Time to exploit: 1-4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Intermediate security knowledge
💰 Public exploits: May be available

How to Fix:

1 Identify affected systems

- Check if you're running the affected product

2 Immediate actions

- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access

3 Verification

- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)

4 Long-term prevention

- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations

Exploit Difficulty Assessment

MEDIUM
⏱️ Time to Exploit: 1-4 hours
🛠️ Skills Required: Intermediate security knowledge
💰 Public Exploits: May be available

Vulnerability Timeline

Jan 08, 2026
Vulnerability Published

CVE details first published to NVD database

Jan 08, 2026
Imported to Database

Added to this CVE tracking system

Detection Rules & IOCs

No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.

No vendor/product data available.