diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 662cad5..64b1f85 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "ewf"
-version = "0.4.8"
+version = "0.4.9"
 dependencies = [
  "adler2",
  "flate2",
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "ewf-forensic"
-version = "0.7.3"
+version = "0.7.4"
 dependencies = [
  "blazehash-core",
  "ewf",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 6d35d01..22eefd0 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ authors = ["Albert Hui <albert@securityronin.com>"]
 # lives here too, so a bump touches one line. The reader's deps are hoisted; the
 # analyzer (forensic) keeps its own deps inline (different version pins / oracle).
 [workspace.dependencies]
-ewf = { path = "core", version = "0.4.8" }
+ewf = { path = "core", version = "0.4.9" }
 flate2 = "1"
 # adler-32 over EWF section CRCs (the section-checksum format fact). Already in
 # the tree via flate2; declared directly so `ewf::sections` can compute it.
diff --git a/core/CHANGELOG.md b/core/CHANGELOG.md
index d2f1f7e..92b7c00 100644
--- a/core/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/core/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@ All notable changes to `ewf` (the reader) are documented here. The format follow
 [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/), and the project adheres
 to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [0.4.9](https://github.com/SecurityRonin/ewf-forensic/compare/ewf-v0.4.8...ewf-v0.4.9) - 2026-08-06
+
+### Fixed
+
+- *(core)* GREEN — treat an empty extension as absent; adopt safe-read
+
 ## [0.4.8](https://github.com/SecurityRonin/ewf-forensic/compare/ewf-v0.4.7...ewf-v0.4.8) - 2026-08-04
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/core/Cargo.toml b/core/Cargo.toml
index 03d6822..bfaa961 100644
--- a/core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/core/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "ewf"
-version = "0.4.8"
+version = "0.4.9"
 edition.workspace = true
 rust-version.workspace = true
 description = "Pure Rust reader for Expert Witness Format (E01/EWF) forensic disk images"
diff --git a/forensic/CHANGELOG.md b/forensic/CHANGELOG.md
index 86e69c0..dd82ccb 100644
--- a/forensic/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/forensic/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@ All notable changes to `ewf-forensic` are documented here. The format follows
 [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/), and the project adheres
 to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [0.7.4](https://github.com/SecurityRonin/ewf-forensic/compare/ewf-forensic-v0.7.3...ewf-forensic-v0.7.4) - 2026-08-06
+
+### Fixed
+
+- *(core)* GREEN — treat an empty extension as absent; adopt safe-read
+
 ## [0.7.3](https://github.com/SecurityRonin/ewf-forensic/compare/ewf-forensic-v0.7.2...ewf-forensic-v0.7.3) - 2026-08-04
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/forensic/Cargo.toml b/forensic/Cargo.toml
index 6b2a4d6..9aa50b8 100644
--- a/forensic/Cargo.toml
+++ b/forensic/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "ewf-forensic"
-version = "0.7.3"
+version = "0.7.4"
 edition.workspace = true
 rust-version.workspace = true
 description = "Forensic integrity analysis and repair for EWF (Expert Witness Format / E01) images"