Stack Overflow in BusyBox AWK Script Engine

Publication date: 2026-07-15

Last updated on: 2026-07-15

Assigner: MITRE

Description

A stack overflow in the evaluate() function (editors/awk.c) of BusyBox commit 371fe9 allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via supplying a crafted AWK script.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-07-15

Last Modified

2026-07-15

Generated

2026-07-16

AI Q&A

2026-07-16

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-38752

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
busybox	busybox	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a stack overflow in the evaluate() function within the AWK script interpreter of BusyBox. It occurs in the file editors/awk.c and can be triggered by a specially crafted AWK script. The flaw allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by overflowing the stack, leading to program crashes or instability.

Impact Analysis

If you use BusyBox with the vulnerable AWK interpreter, an attacker could exploit this flaw to crash your system or applications relying on BusyBox. This may disrupt services, cause data loss, or require system reboots to restore functionality.

Mitigation Strategies

Update BusyBox to a version that fixes the stack overflow in the evaluate() function. Monitor for any unusual activity or crashes in AWK script processing.

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