# CVE-2026-88842: Busybox: busybox: dpkg stale field_start pointer causes out-of-bounds read and status file corruption

> A stale pointer in BusyBox dpkg causes out-of-bounds reads and status file corruption when removing multiple packages, potentially leading to data integrity issues.

- **Severity:** Low 3.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 14 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-109773, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-88842, GHSA-9p9q-94fg-r728, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-88842

## What is CVE-2026-88842?

CVE-2026-88842 is a low-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Red Hat Hardened Images, published on 14 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official 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.

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-88842?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-88842?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-88842 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-88842 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-88842 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-88842 is a low-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Red Hat Hardened Images, published on 14 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-88842 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Red Hat Hardened Images. 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-2026-88842/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-88842/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-88842
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-88842
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-88842

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-88842/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.