CVE-2026-7482 — Ollama heap out-of-bounds read in GGUF tensor parsing leaks server process memory to unauthenticated remote attackers
Ollama before 0.17.1 contains a heap out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the GGUF model loader. The /api/create endpoint accepts an attacker-supplied GGUF file in which the declared tensor offset and size exceed the file's actual length; during quantization in fs/ggml/gguf.go and server/quantization.go (WriteTo()), the server reads past the allocated heap buffer. The leaked memory contents may include environment variables, API keys, system prompts, and concurrent users' conversation data, and can be exfiltrated by uploading the resulting model artifact through the /api/push endpoint to an attacker-controlled registry. The /api/create and /api/push endpoints have no authentication in the upstream distribution. Default deployments bind to 127.0.0.1, but the documented OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0 configuration is widely used in practice (large public-internet exposure observed).
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.7% (30-day exploitation probability)+8
- Technical severity (critical)+10
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Ollama Ollama).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (memory corruption), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.8 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | abd028dc-c042-4c4d-9749-38d0f850af89 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 8.8 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | Echo via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 9.1 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | 3.9 | 5.2 | abd028dc-c042-4c4d-9749-38d0f850af89 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 9.1 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | — | — | Echo via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: abd028dc-c042-4c4d-9749-38d0f850af89) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.71%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Correlate service crashes/restarts with inbound traffic; repeated crashes may indicate attempts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · ollama/ollama
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- CVSS changed · 9.1
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
3 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Critical CVE-2026-103663 Path Traversal leading to Remote Code Execution in Ollama 7d
- High CVE-2026-5757 There exists an unauthenticated remote information disclosure vulnerability in Ollama's model quantization engine Jun 26, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-42249 Remote Code Execution in Ollama via Update Mechanism Apr 29, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-42248 Missing Signature Verification for Updates in Ollama Apr 29, 2026
- Low CVE-2026-7020 Ollama Tensor Model Transfer transfer.go digestToPath path traversal Apr 26, 2026
- High CVE-2025-66959 Improper Input Validation in Ollama Jan 21, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-7482 is "Ollama heap out-of-bounds read in GGUF tensor parsing leaks server process memory to unauthenticated remote attackers", rated Critical. It affects Ollama (Ollama); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 9.1 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.71% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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