Cpanel::JSON::XS versions before 4.41 for Perl allow denial of service via UTF-8 BOM prefixed input when a decode filter callback throws. To skip a leading 3-byte UTF-8 BOM, decode_json() advances the input scalar's string pointer past the mark with SvPV_set() and restores it only on the normal return path. When decoding aborts through a Perl exception, for example a filter_json_object callback that croaks, the restore is skipped and the scalar is left with its string pointer offset into its own buffer and a shortened length. When that scalar is later freed, the allocator receives an invalid pointer and the interpreter aborts. A single BOM prefixed document decoded with a throwing filter callback crashes any caller.

Cpanel::JSON::XS versions before 4.41 for Perl allow type confusion via duplicate object keys when dupkeys_as_arrayref is enabled. decode_hv() collapses duplicate object keys into an array reference under dupkeys_as_arrayref. The branch reached for a duplicate key tests `SvTYPE (old_value) != SVt_RV && SvTYPE (SvRV (old_value)) != SVt_PVAV`, which evaluates SvRV(old_value) before establishing that old_value is a reference. When the existing value is a plain scalar rather than an array reference, a non-reference scalar is dereferenced as a reference. A caller decoding untrusted JSON with dupkeys_as_arrayref enabled is crashed, and the incompatible access follows a pointer taken from attacker controlled scalar contents.