# CVE-2026-103658: Memory corruption in Aspell

> A heap-based buffer overflow in GNU Aspell allows attackers to cause denial of service or execute code by tricking users into loading a malicious dictionary file.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 12 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 14 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-108060, BELL-CVE-2026-103658, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-103658, ECHO-25af-2f91-edc1, GHSA-p35p-2mw5-fj5j, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-103658, openSUSE-SU-2026:12126-1

## What is CVE-2026-103658?

CVE-2026-103658 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in GNU Aspell, published on 12 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

GNU Aspell 0.60.8.2 (first vulnerable version is not known) contains a heap-based buffer overflow write (CWE-122) in its read-only dictionary loader. String::reserve() in common/string.hpp computes its capacity check with a signed int ((int)s + 1), so a requested size of 0x7FFFFFFF wraps negative and the backing buffer is never grown. ReadOnlyDict::load() in modules/speller/default/readonly_ws.cpp passes the unvalidated 32-bit size fields from a .rws dictionary header into this path, so a crafted .rws file with a valid endian marker (12345678) and an oversized length field (e.g. lang_name_size = 0x7FFFFFFF) causes attacker-controlled data to be written out of bounds past an undersized heap allocation. An attacker who induces a victim to load a malicious dictionary — for example via aspell dump master <file> — can corrupt heap memory, resulting in denial of service and potentially code execution. Fixed in b830b6e and will be fixed in release 0.60.8.3.

Weakness: CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-103658?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `aspell` | openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 0.60.8.2-3.1 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-103658?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-103658 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-103658 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-103658 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-103658 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in GNU Aspell, published on 12 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-103658 exists.

Affected product: GNU Aspell. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-103658/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-103658/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-103658
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-103658
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-103658

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-103658/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.