GNU gawk up to 5.4.0 builtin.c do_sub integer overflow

CVSS Meta Temp Score
CVSS is a standardized scoring system to determine possibilities of attacks. The Temp Score considers temporal factors like disclosure, exploit and countermeasures. The unique Meta Score calculates the average score of different sources to provide a normalized scoring system.
Current Exploit Price (≈)
Our analysts are monitoring exploit markets and are in contact with vulnerability brokers. The range indicates the observed or calculated exploit price to be seen on exploit markets. A good indicator to understand the monetary effort required for and the popularity of an attack.
CTI Interest Score
Our Cyber Threat Intelligence team is monitoring different web sites, mailing lists, exploit markets and social media networks. The CTI Interest Score identifies the interest of attackers and the security community for this specific vulnerability in real-time. A high score indicates an elevated risk to be targeted for this vulnerability.
4.8$0-$5k3.23

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, was found in GNU gawk up to 5.4.0. This affects the function do_sub of the file builtin.c. Executing a manipulation can lead to integer overflow. This vulnerability is registered as CVE-2026-40469. The attack needs to be launched locally. No exploit is available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in GNU gawk up to 5.4.0. This vulnerability affects the function do_sub of the file builtin.c. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a integer overflow vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-190. The product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound, when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. This can introduce other weaknesses when the calculation is used for resource management or execution control. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

Integer overflow vulnerability has been found in "builtin.c" program file of gawk (do_sub() routine). This issue could be used to overwrite gawk heap metadata and objects causing the program to crash. It affects 32-bit builds of gawk in versions 5.4.0 and below.

The advisory is shared for download at cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org. This vulnerability was named CVE-2026-40469 since 04/13/2026. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack needs to be approached locally. Successful exploitation requires user interaction by the victim. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available. The current price for an exploit might be approx. USD $0-$5k (estimation calculated on 07/13/2026).

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Vendor

Name

Version

License

Website

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 4.8
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 4.8

VulDB Base Score: 4.8
VulDB Temp Score: 4.8
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
💳💳💳💳💳💳
💳💳💳💳💳💳
💳💳💳💳💳💳
VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
UnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock
UnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock
UnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock

VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Integer overflow
CWE: CWE-190 / CWE-189
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: Partially
Local: Yes
Remote: Partially

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

0-DayUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock
TodayUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: no mitigation known
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Timelineinfo

04/13/2026 CVE reserved
07/13/2026 +91 days Advisory disclosed
07/13/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
07/13/2026 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: gnu.org

Advisory: cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org
Status: Not defined

CVE: CVE-2026-40469 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-40469
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-378100

Entryinfo

Created: 07/13/2026 15:21
Changes: 07/13/2026 15:21 (53)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.

Discussion

No comments yet. Languages: en.

Please log in to comment.

Are you interested in using VulDB?

Download the whitepaper to learn more about our service!