CVE-2026-88842
Description
A flaw was found in BusyBox dpkg. The write_status_file() function does not reset a field cursor between package stanzas. When two packages are removed in a single invocation and the first stanza is larger than the second, the second package stanza can be dropped from the status file, causing limited data corruption.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Low because the demonstrated impact is limited corruption of the dpkg status file (one stanza dropped) when busybox dpkg removes two packages in one invocation. It is a local issue and requires the victim to run the applet.
Fedora ships the dpkg applet in the busybox package (busybox dpkg), so the previous 'no deployment on Fedora/RHEL' Base 0.0 justification was incorrect. Red Hat Hardened Images (Hummingbird) also ship busybox and remain affected. RHEL 8, 9, and 10 do not ship busybox in the product compose; that absence belongs in product affectedness, not in a 0.0 base score. Finding 7 (CVE-2026-88835) is in the same file and remains 6.1 because that path is a reliable crash.
Mitigation
Do not use BusyBox dpkg for package management on systems where package integrity is critical. Remove packages one at a time if BusyBox dpkg must be used. Upstream should reset field_start at the beginning of each stanza iteration in write_status_file().
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 | 3.3 | N/A | 3.3 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | Low | N/A | Low |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
Base 3.3. Stale field_start in write_status_file() can drop a status stanza on a two-package remove. Fedora busybox ships the dpkg applet, so no-deployment is not a Base CIA None argument. Proven impact is limited status corruption (I:L); crash/leak not demonstrated outside ASan (C:N/A:N).
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory
An attacker could get secret values such as cryptographic keys, PII, memory addresses, or other information that could be used in additional attacks.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
Out-of-bounds memory could contain memory addresses or other information that can be used to bypass ASLR and other protection mechanisms in order to improve the reliability of exploiting a separate weakness for code execution.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
An attacker could cause a segmentation fault or crash by causing memory to be read outside of the bounds of the buffer. This is especially likely when the code reads a variable amount of data and assumes that a sentinel exists to stop the read operation, such as a NUL in a string.
Other
Technical Impact: Varies by Context
The read operation could produce other undefined or unexpected results.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Shubham Raj (Causal Security) for reporting this issue.
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