CVE-2026-103658
Description
A flaw was found in Aspell. An attacker could achieve arbitrary code execution or cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by convincing a user to process a specially crafted dictionary file. This issue occurs due to an integer calculation error during buffer capacity checks in the read-only dictionary loader, leading to a heap-based buffer overflow.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Important severity for Red Hat because memory corruption can result in arbitrary execution of code or application crashes with the privileges of the running user. In Red Hat Enterprise Linux environments, Aspell functions as a spell-checking CLI utility and shared library typically invoked by text editors or desktop software. Exploitation requires an attacker to convince a user to process an untrusted compiled dictionary file, precluding direct remote compromise and limiting the blast radius to the executing user's context.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.8 | N/A | 5.9 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | Low |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | Low |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | Low |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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