Distribution advisory
This page covers CVE-2026-45186 as tracked by Alpine, for the package expat. The fix is available in version 2.8.1-r0; earlier versions remain affected.
How this vulnerability can be exploited
This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality none, integrity none, availability high.
CVSS metrics in full
The score comes from this vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- Attack vector: Network — reachable from anywhere that can route to the service.
- Attack complexity: Low — the attack works reliably, with no preparation.
- Privileges required: None — an unauthenticated stranger can try it.
- User interaction: None — nobody has to be tricked into anything.
- Scope: Unchanged — the damage stays inside the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality impact: None.
- Integrity impact: None.
- Availability impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
Weakness class
ALPINE-CVE-2026-45186 is classified as CWE-407: Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity. Crafted input drives an algorithm into its worst case, so a small request costs disproportionate work.
Affected software
ALPINE-CVE-2026-45186 is recorded against 1 package.
- expat (fixed in 2.8.1-r0)
Timeline and source
Published on 10 May 2026 and last revised on 20 June 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from OSV.
References
security.alpinelinux.org (Advisory)
Other advisories for this package
expat has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:
Same weakness in other software
These advisories are the same class of weakness (CWE-407: Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity) in other software:
