CVE-2026-40553: Buffer overflow vulnerability has been found in "extension/readdir.c" program file of gawk (ftype() routine). This issue could be used to crash the program and potentially to achie

highCVSS 7.5CVE-2026-40553

Buffer overflow vulnerability has been found in "extension/readdir.c" program file of gawk (ftype() routine). This issue could be used to crash the program and potentially to achieve code execution, although the latter has not been confirmed to be feasible. It affects gawk in versions 5.4.0 and below.

Details

Source: NVD Recent CVEs (US · database · site)
Severity: high — CVSS 7.5
Published: 2026-07-13
Last updated: 2026-07-14
Exploitation: Not in CISA KEV at last sync

Original advisory: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40553

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-2026-405530.29% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 21% of all scored CVEs.

Referenced CVEs

CVE	CSIRTS overview	External
CVE-2026-40553	coverage & exploitation status	NVD · CVE.org

Same CVEs, other sources

How other CERTs, PSIRTs and databases cover the vulnerabilities in this advisory.

unknownUSN-8588-1: Gawk vulnerabilitiesubuntu
unknownCVE-2026-40553: Stack-based buffer overflow in gawkmsrc

CVE-2026-40553: Buffer overflow vulnerability has been found in "extension/readdir.c" program file of gawk (ftype() routine). This issue could be used to crash the program and potentially to achie

Details

Exploitation outlook

Referenced CVEs

Same CVEs, other sources

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