CVE-2026-124987mikefarah yq improper output encoding
CVE-2026-124987 is a improper output encoding in mikefarah yq, rated low (2.1 on CVSS 4.0).
Why this priority: Low severity, with no exploitation signal.
Published · Updated · NVD status: Deferred
What it is
Output is not encoded for where it lands, so data can be read as markup or commands. Input is passed to another component as instructions rather than data.
How it is reached
An attacker can exploit it over the network, without an account, but someone has to act first, such as opening a file or following a link.
What an attacker gains
The direct impact is limited: partial access to data or a partial outage. In practice, this kind of flaw lets an attacker act inside a signed-in user's browser session.
Is it being exploited?
There is no public report of exploitation yet.
What to do
- No fixed version is listed yet. Find every place mikefarah yq runs, watch the references for a fix, and plan a replacement if it is no longer supported.
- While there is no fix, keep it off the internet or behind a VPN, allowlist or authenticating proxy.
- Warn the people who use it, and filter files and links on the way in.
Description from NVD
A vulnerability has been found in mikefarah yq up to 4.53.3. This affects the function Encode of the file pkg/yqlib/encoder_properties.go. Such manipulation leads to escaping of output. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The pull request to fix this issue awaits acceptance.
What this means for your architecture.
A CVE names a product. Whether it matters depends on where that product sits in your systems: what reaches it, which trust boundary it guards and what it can reach once compromised. Veriom maps your components, their relationships and your trust boundaries from your code, cloud and delivery evidence, so you can see where a component like this sits. The radar itself does not look at your systems.
Components it touches
- Web front ends and single-page apps. The flaw sits between a user's browser and the web application.
- Admin consoles served to a browser. The flaw sits between a user's browser and the web application.
- Application servers and the hosts they run on. The flaw sits between untrusted input and code or command execution.
- Template engines. The flaw sits between untrusted input and code or command execution.
Trust boundaries in play
- Internet-facing entry points. No account is needed. Any instance reachable from outside your perimeter, through a load balancer, gateway, VPN or exposed admin port, is in scope.
- People who open files and links. Mail, chat and browsers are the delivery path.
- Between a user's browser and the web application. An attacker who crosses it can act inside a signed-in user's browser session.
- Between untrusted input and code or command execution. An attacker who crosses it can run commands or code with the privileges of the affected service.
Questions to answer about your own systems
- Where does mikefarah yq run in your systems, and at which version?
- Which of those instances can be reached from the internet or partner networks?
- What can it reach once compromised: which data stores, secrets and services?
Read more
Patches and commits
Advisories
Issue reports
More reading
Sources
- CVE records and CVSS scores from the NVD CVE API. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- Exploitation status from CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
- Exploit likelihood from FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), refreshed daily.
- Explanations are written by Veriom from fixed templates over each record’s data, not by a person reviewing each CVE. Descriptions are quoted from the records as published.