CVE-2026-18626 in Connext Professional
Summary
by MITRE • 09/22/2026
Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in RTI Connext Professional (Core Libraries) allows Overread Buffers. This issue affects Connext Professional: from 7.4.0 before 7.7.0.1, from 7.0.0 before 7.3.1.6, from 6.1.0 before 6.1.*, from 6.0.0 before 6.0.*, from 5.3.0 before 5.3.*, from 5.2.0 before 5.2.*, from 5.0.0 before 5.1.*.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2026
The vulnerability identified in RTI Connext Professional Core Libraries represents a critical security flaw classified as an out-of-bounds read, commonly referred to as overread buffer access. This type of memory safety issue occurs when software reads data from a memory location that lies outside the intended boundaries of a buffer or array. In the context of distributed real-time systems managed by RTI Connext DDS (Data Distribution Service), such vulnerabilities are particularly concerning because they can lead to information disclosure, denial of service, or potentially serve as an initial vector for more complex exploitation chains involving arbitrary code execution if combined with other memory corruption flaws. The affected versions span multiple major releases, indicating a systemic issue within the core library logic that has persisted across several iterations from version 5.0.0 up through 7.6.x and specifically impacts builds prior to 7.7.0.1, 7.3.1.6, and various earlier maintenance releases in the 6.x and 5.x branches.
From a technical perspective, an out-of-bounds read typically arises when input validation mechanisms fail to properly verify that requested data access operations remain within allocated memory limits. When processing networked messages or internal data structures, if the length field of a message is manipulated by an attacker to exceed the actual size of the target buffer, the application may proceed to read subsequent bytes from adjacent memory regions. This behavior violates fundamental principles of secure coding and aligns with CWE-125, which defines out-of-bounds read as accessing memory beyond the end or before the beginning of a specified data structure. The consequence is that sensitive information residing in neighboring memory spaces, such as stack variables, heap metadata, or other process data, may be inadvertently exposed to the attacker through the application's response mechanisms or logging outputs.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data leakage. In industrial control systems, financial trading platforms, and aerospace applications where RTI Connext is frequently deployed, any compromise in data integrity or confidentiality can have severe consequences. An attacker leveraging this flaw could potentially perform reconnaissance by analyzing the leaked memory contents to map out internal structures, identify security controls, or locate credentials stored within the process address space. Furthermore, while an overread alone does not directly allow code execution, it significantly lowers the barrier for subsequent attacks. It provides valuable intelligence that can be used in conjunction with other vulnerabilities, such as heap overflow or use-after-free conditions, to achieve arbitrary read/write primitives and ultimately remote code execution on the affected host systems.
This vulnerability maps closely to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1083, which covers File and Directory Discovery, although in this specific context of memory overreads, it more accurately reflects aspects of Information Gathering where an adversary extracts data from a running process without direct file system access. It also relates to the broader category of Memory Corruption vulnerabilities often seen in complex C/C++ based middleware software. The persistence of this flaw across multiple major versions suggests that legacy code paths or backward compatibility layers within the Core Libraries may lack rigorous bounds checking, highlighting the need for comprehensive static analysis and fuzzing during development cycles rather than relying solely on reactive patching after discovery.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate remediation through version upgrades to the specified safe releases: 7.7.0.1 or later for the 7.x branch, 7.3.1.6 or later for the 7.0 series, and corresponding maintenance updates for earlier versions such as 6.1., 6.0., 5.3., 5.2., and 5.1.* organizations should verify their deployment inventory to ensure no systems are running vulnerable builds. In environments where immediate patching is not feasible due to operational constraints or certification requirements, network segmentation strategies can help mitigate risk by restricting access to RTI Connext nodes from untrusted networks. Additionally, deploying intrusion detection signatures that monitor for anomalous message sizes or malformed DDS packets may provide an additional layer of defense against exploitation attempts targeting this specific memory safety flaw.