CVE-2026-40468: Integer overflow vulnerability has been found in "builtin.c" program file of gawk

Q: How do I fix CVE-2026-40468?

gawk: upgrade to newer than 5.4.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2026-40468 being exploited?

CVE-2026-40468 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2026-40468 affect?

CVE-2026-40468 affects gawk. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.1). Integer overflow vulnerability has been found in "builtin.c" program file of gawk. This issue may lead to memory exhaustion on the hosting operating system and could be used to overwrite gawk heap metadata and objects with attacker-controll

Q: How urgent is CVE-2026-40468?

Priority 39/100. Critical severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

This month

CRITICAL 9.1REMOTEUPGRADE

CVE-2026-40468 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.1) affecting gawk. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Integer overflow vulnerability has been found in "builtin.c" program file of gawk. This issue may lead to memory exhaustion on the hosting operating system and could be used to overwrite gawk heap metadata and objects with attacker-controlled bytes. It affects gawk in versions 5.4.0 and below.

Why this priority

Critical severity
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.1 (Critical)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.2% (top 91%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-190
Published	2026-07-13
Last modified	2026-10-24

Publisher (CNA): CERT.PL · Vendor: fossies

Last updated 2026-10-24 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2026-07-13 13:16 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-10-24 22:10 UTCUpdated Record last modified

fossies gawk UPGRADE

Affected: <= 5.4.0

Fixed in: newer than 5.4.0

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy gawk || rpm -q gawk || gawk --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 5.4.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade gawk

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade gawk

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2026-40468?

gawk: upgrade to newer than 5.4.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2026-40468 being exploited?

CVE-2026-40468 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2026-40468 affect?

CVE-2026-40468 affects gawk. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.1). Integer overflow vulnerability has been found in "builtin.c" program file of gawk. This issue may lead to memory exhaustion on the hosting operating system and could be used to overwrite gawk heap metadata and objects with attacker-controll

How urgent is CVE-2026-40468?

Priority 39/100. Critical severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Related CVEs

CVE-2026-40469 CRITICAL 9.1 UPGRADE Integer overflow vulnerability has been found in "builtin.c" program file of gawk (do_sub() routine)
CVE-2026-40553 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE Buffer overflow vulnerability has been found in "extension/readdir.c" program file of gawk (ftype() routine)
CVE-2026-40467 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE Use After Free vulnerability has been found in "io.c" program file of gawk (do_getline_redir() routine)

References

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