CVE-2026-54901: Oj: Use-After-Free in Oj::Parser array_class/hash_class GC Marking

Severity: medium (CVSS 6.3 v4.0)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-07-01 · updated 2026-10-25
Weakness: CWE-416

Description

Oj (Optimized JSON) is a JSON parser and Object marshaller packaged as a Ruby gem. In versions prior to 3.17.2, Oj::Parser in usual mode does not mark array_class and hash_class references during garbage collection, leading to Use-After-Free. If GC runs after the class is assigned but before a parse, the class object is reclaimed, leaving the parser holding a dangling VALUE. The subsequent parse call dereferences the freed object, producing a segfault. This issue has been fixed in version 3.17.2.

Affected products

Rubygems Oj: before 3.17.3; 0.5, 0.5.1, 0.5.2, 0.6.0, 0.7.0, 0.8.0 (+288) — fixed in 3.17.3
ohler55 oj: before 3.17.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Rubygems Oj 3.17.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

Get alerted when CVE-2026-54901 or the next vulnerability affects your stack