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.

mediumCVSS 4.9CVE-2026-38753

CSIRTS triage

vendor: Busybox product: Busybox Denial of serviceaffected: v1.38.0

What: A use-after-free vulnerability allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via a crafted AWK script.
Who is affected: Deployments of Busybox v1.38.0.
Urgency: Remediation is medium urgency due to the potential for service disruption.
Action: Upgrade to a patched version of Busybox.

AI-assisted analysis generated from the source advisory — verify against the original.

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Details

Source: Microsoft Security Response Center (INTL · vendor-psirt · site)
Severity: medium — CVSS 4.9
Published: 2026-07-14
Exploitation: Not in CISA KEV at last sync

Original advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-38753

Exploitation outlook

EPSS (FIRST.org) estimates each CVE’s probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — here is the CSIRTS.com read on those numbers.

Low exploitation riskCVE-2026-387530.14% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 4% of all scored CVEs.

Referenced CVEs

CVE	CSIRTS overview	External
CVE-2026-38753	coverage & exploitation status	NVD · CVE.org

Same CVEs, other sources

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