MarkLogic Server: Use After Free
CVE-2026-85965 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in MarkLogic Server from Progress Software, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.0 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 11.3.7, 12.1.0 as the first without the flaw, so updating MarkLogic Server to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.24% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update MarkLogic Server to 11.3.7 or 12.1.0, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Progress Software | MarkLogic Server | 11.0.0 up to, but not including, 11.3.7; 12.0.0 up to, but not including, 12.1.0 | 11.3.7, 12.1.0 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (progress.com).
Official description
Progress MarkLogic Server 12.x releases before 12.1.0 and 11.x releases before 11.3.7 contain memory-safety defects in the JavaScript engine integration that could result in memory corruption, controlled process failure, or server instability.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Use After Free
The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
- When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in MarkLogic Server
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
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