Use After Free in Busybox
CVE-2026-38753
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.
Vulnerability class: Use-After-Free
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 4.9 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.001 (3.5th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 3rd percentile — 3.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.001 · change: -0.001
Affected products
- Busybox — versions 1.00, 1.38.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- busybox.com (Product)
- lists.busybox.net/pipermail/busybox/2026-June/092352.html (Patch, Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- busybox.net
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-38753?
- CVE-2026-38753 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Busybox, classified under Use After Free. CVSS score: 4.9/10. Published 2026-07-15.
- How severe is CVE-2026-38753?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 4.9 out of 10.