CVE-2026-77797 in Velociraptor
Summary
by MITRE • 09/24/2026
Velociraptor's prefetch library contains an out of bound vulnerability which may cause a crash when parsing certain malformed prefetch files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2026
The Velociraptor digital forensics and incident response platform relies on a specialized prefetch library to parse Windows Prefetch files, which are critical artifacts used for tracking application execution history. These files contain metadata about executable programs that have run on a system, including file paths, timestamps, and hash values, making them essential for reconstructing user activity during forensic investigations. The identified vulnerability resides within the parsing logic of this library, specifically manifesting as an out-of-bounds read or write condition when processing malformed prefetch data structures. This flaw indicates a failure in input validation where the parser does not adequately verify that indices or offsets referenced within the file structure remain within the allocated memory boundaries before accessing them.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability allows for potential denial of service conditions and potentially arbitrary code execution depending on the specific nature of the out-of-bounds access. When an attacker crafts a malicious prefetch file with manipulated headers or data structures containing invalid offsets, the parser may attempt to read from or write to memory locations outside its intended buffer. This can lead to immediate application crashes due to segmentation faults or heap corruption. In more severe scenarios, if the vulnerability permits controlled overwrites of adjacent memory structures such as function pointers or object vtables, it could facilitate remote code execution on systems running Velociraptor agents that process untrusted prefetch artifacts. The risk is particularly acute in automated environments where files are ingested without manual review, increasing the attack surface for adversaries attempting to compromise forensic infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application instability. For incident response teams and digital forensics professionals who depend on Velociraptor for large-scale data collection and analysis, a crash during parsing can result in significant gaps in evidence acquisition. If an agent crashes while processing a specific artifact from a suspect machine, critical forensic data may be lost or corrupted, hindering the investigation timeline. Furthermore, if the vulnerability is exploitable for code execution, it poses a severe security risk to the central server and connected endpoints. Adversaries with access to network shares or removable media could plant malicious prefetch files designed to trigger this flaw when scanned by Velociraptor agents, effectively using forensic tools as vectors for initial access or lateral movement within an organization's infrastructure.
This issue aligns with CWE-125 Out-of-bounds Read and potentially CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write, depending on the exact memory manipulation mechanics observed during exploitation attempts. In terms of tactical classification under MITRE ATT&CK, this vulnerability relates to T1036 Masquerading if used to evade detection by crashing security tools, or more directly to component supply chain risks where trusted software components are exploited via crafted inputs similar to techniques described in T1204 User Execution. The exploitation vector typically involves the delivery of a malicious file that is subsequently processed by the vulnerable application, placing it within the context of input validation failures common in binary parsing libraries.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching through official Velociraptor updates which address the bounds checking logic in the prefetch parser. Until patches are applied, organizations can implement network-level controls to restrict access to file shares containing untrusted artifacts or configure agents to exclude specific directories from automatic artifact collection if those sources are deemed high-risk. Additionally, deploying input validation gateways that inspect uploaded files for structural anomalies before they reach the Velociraptor ingestion pipeline can provide an additional layer of defense. Security teams should also monitor agent logs for unexpected termination events associated with prefetch parsing modules as a detection mechanism for potential exploitation attempts in their environment.