Heap Overflow in BusyBox v1.38.0

Publication date: 2026-07-15

Last updated on: 2026-07-15

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

2026-07-15

Generated

2026-07-16

AI Q&A

2026-07-16

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-38754

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
busybox	busybox	1.38.0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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.

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.

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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