CVE-2026-38754

Modified Modified - Updated After Analysis

Heap Overflow in BusyBox v1.38.0

Publication date: 2026-07-15

Last updated on: 2026-07-22

Assigner: MITRE

Description

A heap overflow in the ifsbreakup() function (shell/ash.c) of Busybox v1.38.0 allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via supplying a crafted input.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-07-15

Last Modified

2026-07-22

Generated

2026-08-05

AI Q&A

2026-07-16

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-03

NVD

CVE-2026-38754

EUVD

EUVD-2026-44850

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
busybox	busybox	1.38.0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-125	The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
CWE-122	A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a heap overflow in the ifsbreakup() function located in the shell/ash.c file of Busybox version 1.38.0. A heap overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a buffer than it can hold, corrupting adjacent memory. Attackers can exploit this by providing specially crafted input to trigger the overflow.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves a heap overflow in Busybox v1.38.0's ifsbreakup() function. To detect it, check Busybox version with 'busybox | head -1' or 'busybox --version'. If version is 1.38.0, the system is vulnerable. Monitor for crashes or unusual behavior in shell processes.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by crashing the affected system or application. If exploited, it may lead to system instability, unresponsiveness, or termination of services relying on Busybox v1.38.0.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability causes a Denial of Service (DoS) via heap overflow, which may disrupt system availability. Compliance impacts depend on affected systems' roles in data processing or healthcare operations, but no direct regulatory violations are specified in the provided context.

Mitigation Strategies

Update Busybox to a version that patches the heap overflow in ifsbreakup(). Avoid using vulnerable versions (e.g., v1.38.0) and monitor for crashes in shell/ash.c functions.

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