RCE via deserialization in a widely used JS library; could impact many apps across industries.
CVE-2026-41242
RCE via crafted protobuf 'type' field during decoding (pre-8.0.1, pre-7.5.5).
Is CVE-2026-41242 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-41242 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.77% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-41242?
CVE-2026-41242 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.4. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-41242?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-41242. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-41242 affect?
CVE-2026-41242 affects protobufjs (<8.0.1, <7.5.5). Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-41242?
Upgrade to 8.0.1 or 7.5.5+
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Remote code execution via deserialization during protobuf decoding in affected protobufjs versions.
Patch when possible
- affected< 7.5.5
- affected>= 8.0.0-experimental and < 8.0.1
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.