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01 Record

CVE-2021-42386

A use-after-free in Busybox's awk applet leads to denial of service and possibly code execution when processing a crafted awk pattern in the nvalloc function

HighPUBLISHEDCNA: JFROG
CNA base score7.2 CVSS v3.xCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

02 Description

A use-after-free in Busybox's awk applet leads to denial of service and possibly code execution when processing a crafted awk pattern in the nvalloc function

03 Exploitation and scoring

Exploitation
Assessed, none found. CISA's assessment recorded neither public exploit code nor evidence of exploitation when it was made.
SSVC decision
  • ExploitationnoneCISA recorded no public exploit code and no evidence of exploitation.
  • AutomatablenoAt least one step from reconnaissance to exploitation cannot be reliably automated.
  • Technical ImpacttotalSuccessful exploitation gives total control of the vulnerable component.
CISA publishes the decision points, not a final SSVC decision. The decision also depends on mission and well-being impact, which is a property of your deployment rather than of the vulnerability.
EPSS probability
2.73% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.
EPSS percentile
Equal to or higher than the score of 85.6% of scored records. A rank, not a probability.
NVD base score
7.2 (CVSS v3.x), scored by the NVD independently of the CNA.
NVD CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD analysis status
Modified. NVD last modified this record on 2026-06-17.
Red Hat severity
Moderate. Red Hat's rating for its own products, not a CVSS rating.

Exploit-prediction scores from FIRST. Independent scoring and analysis status from the NVD. Vendor severity from Red Hat. Exploitation assessment and catalog membership from CISA.

04 Metadata

Published
2021-11-15 00:00Z4 YR AGO
Last updated
2025-11-03 20:34Z11 MO AGO
Reserved
2021-10-14
Assigning CNA
JFROG
Record state
PUBLISHED
Severity
High (CVSS 7.2)
CNA CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weaknesses
Data version
5.2
Document digest
2cbfdfd8f972435c3387842475f2b612aab6c1ad08069d9fa32cc2ab43d7863b

05 Affected products

VendorProductVersionsPlatforms
busyboxbusybox< 1.34.0—

06 References

07 Fixed in

Arch Linux

  • busybox
    Fixed in 1.34.1-1
  • mkinitcpio-busybox
    Fixed in 1.34.1-1

Source: Arch Linux Security Tracker, the Arch Linux security team. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

Debian 12

  • busybox
    Fixed in 1:1.35.0-1

Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

Debian 13

  • busybox
    Fixed in 1:1.35.0-1

Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

Debian 14

  • busybox
    Fixed in 1:1.35.0-1

Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

Ubuntu 18.04 LTS

  • busybox
    Fixed in 1:1.27.2-2ubuntu3.4

Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

  • busybox
    Fixed in 1:1.30.1-4ubuntu6.4

Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

  • busybox
    Fixed in 1:1.30.1-7ubuntu2

Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS

  • busybox
    No fix yet

Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS

  • busybox
    No fix yet

Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

A release or ecosystem missing from this list has no record here. It may be unaffected or not covered by the source. Source notices and licences.