CVE-2026-41988 is a low-severity (CVSS 3.2) CWE-670 vulnerability in uuid. A fix is available for uuid — see the affected versions and patch details below.
uuid: Missing buffer bounds check in v3/v5/v6 when buf is provided
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-41988.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2026-41988 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 376,715 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
uuidnpmDescription
uuid before 14.0.0 can make unexpected writes when external output buffers are used, and the UUID version is 3, 5, or 6. In particular, UUID version 4, which is very commonly used, is unaffected by this issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | uuid | all versions | 11.1.1npm install uuid@11.1.1 |
| 📦npm | uuid | ≥ 12.0.0&&< 12.0.1 | 12.0.1npm install uuid@12.0.1 |
| 📦npm | uuid | ≥ 13.0.0&&< 13.0.1 | 13.0.1npm install uuid@13.0.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for uuid, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update uuid to 11.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-41988 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-41988 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2026-41988. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-41988 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2026-41988 across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.