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TI-2026-28203 Aliases CVE-2026-38753GHSA-9r55-p3jw-v652

Use after free in BusyBox

Priority LOW 38CWE-416Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Impact type
Denial of service
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
None · None · High
Fix status
Partial Red Hat: 1 fixed, 1 without a fix

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-416 and the CVSS impact.

Summary

A use-after-free in the awk_sub() function (editors/awk.c) of Busybox v1.38.0 allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via supplying a crafted AWK script.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00145 3rd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Red Hat: 1 advisoryRed Hat: 1 fixed, 1 without a fix

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation
None
Automatable
Yes
Technical impact
Partial

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
busyboxBusyBox1.00 – 1.38.0—No fix listedCNA
  • BusyBox Vendorbusybox Affected 1.00 – 1.38.0 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA

CPE configurations NVD · 1

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:a:busybox:busybox:1.38.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*1.38.0Vulnerablebusybox
  • cpe:2.3:a:busybox:busybox:1.38.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.38.0 Vulnerable ·busybox

Remediation

Red Hat 1 advisory

  • RHSA-2026:41130 Released 2026-07-16 · Red Hat rating Important
    Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs Security Update
    • Red Hat Hardened Images busybox-1:1.37.0-8.1.hum1@aarch64, busybox-1:1.37.0-8.1.hum1@src, busybox-1:1.37.0-8.1.hum1@x86_64 +4

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →

ProductStatusPlan or fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
Red Hat Hardened ImagesFixed RHSA-2026:41130

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-38753
  2. 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-9r55-p3jw-v652

References

Patch 1

Other 1

  • TI-2016-05394 The recv_and_process_client_pkt function in networking/ntpd.c in busybox allows remote… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
  • TI-2018-15900 Busybox contains a Missing SSL certificate validation vulnerability in The "busybox wget"… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
  • TI-2018-15917 BusyBox project BusyBox wget version prior to commit… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
  • TI-2016-01959 Heap-based buffer overflow in the DHCP client (udhcpc) in BusyBox before 1.25.0 allows… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
  • TI-2025-37846 BusyBox wget thru 1.3.7 accepted raw CR (0x0D)/LF (0x0A) and other C0 control bytes in… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.5
  • TI-2023-22583 A use-after-free vulnerability in BusyBox v.1.36.1 allows attackers to cause a denial of… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.5
See all 44 →

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences