Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs Security Update
A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the awk_sub() function of Busybox's awk applet, allowing local attackers to cause a denial of service by supplying a specially crafted AWK script. This flaw affects Busybox packages included in Red Hat Hardened Images. Exploitation requires local access to supply the malicious AWK script, as Busybox does not accept AWK programs over the network. Red Hat rates the impact as moderate and currently does not provide a fix for this vulnerability.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-38753 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the awk_sub() function of Busybox's awk applet. The flaw involves a dangling pointer after a regular expression operation, which can be triggered by a crafted AWK script causing the Busybox process to crash, resulting in denial of service. The attack vector is local since Busybox does not accept AWK scripts over the network. Red Hat has analyzed this vulnerability and rated its impact as moderate. No official fix or patch is currently available from Red Hat for this issue.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability allows a local attacker to crash the Busybox process by supplying a malicious AWK script, causing denial of service and unavailability of Busybox services. There is no indication of confidentiality or integrity impact. Remote exploitation is not possible as Busybox does not accept AWK scripts over the network.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat currently does not provide a fix or patch for this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation is to avoid processing untrusted AWK scripts with the Busybox awk applet. No other mitigation options meeting Red Hat's criteria are available at this time.
Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs Security Update
Description
A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the awk_sub() function of Busybox's awk applet, allowing local attackers to cause a denial of service by supplying a specially crafted AWK script. This flaw affects Busybox packages included in Red Hat Hardened Images. Exploitation requires local access to supply the malicious AWK script, as Busybox does not accept AWK programs over the network. Red Hat rates the impact as moderate and currently does not provide a fix for this vulnerability.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-38753 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the awk_sub() function of Busybox's awk applet. The flaw involves a dangling pointer after a regular expression operation, which can be triggered by a crafted AWK script causing the Busybox process to crash, resulting in denial of service. The attack vector is local since Busybox does not accept AWK scripts over the network. Red Hat has analyzed this vulnerability and rated its impact as moderate. No official fix or patch is currently available from Red Hat for this issue.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability allows a local attacker to crash the Busybox process by supplying a malicious AWK script, causing denial of service and unavailability of Busybox services. There is no indication of confidentiality or integrity impact. Remote exploitation is not possible as Busybox does not accept AWK scripts over the network.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat currently does not provide a fix or patch for this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation is to avoid processing untrusted AWK scripts with the Busybox awk applet. No other mitigation options meeting Red Hat's criteria are available at this time.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- GHSA-9r55-p3jw-v652
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.4.0
- Aliases
- ["CVE-2026-38753"]
- Database Specific Severity
- HIGH
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a5e79eb2a4a8d59899bb787
Added to database: 07/20/2026, 19:41:31 UTC
Last enriched: 09/12/2026, 10:33:41 UTC
Last updated: 09/14/2026, 22:01:33 UTC
Views: 96
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