New 7-Zip Vulnerability Could Let Crafted XZ Archives Run Code During Extraction

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability, CVE-2026-14266, in 7-Zip's XZ archive handler could allow attackers to execute code when a victim opens a maliciously crafted archive. The flaw, rated High severity with a CVSS score of 7.0, stems from improper handling of XZ chunked data leading to an out-of-bounds write. Exploitation requires local interaction, and no public proof-of-concept or active exploitation has been observed as of July 20, 2026. Users are advised to update to 7-Zip 26.02 or later to mitigate the risk.

AI-extracted · verify before operational use