Disputed code execution claim via unrelated executable
Published Mar 28, 2026 · Updated Mar 28, 2026
The published mawk 1.3.3-17 buffer-overflow claim is disputed because its cited exploit invokes the unrelated jad executable. The proof-of-concept builds a return-oriented payload and passes it as an argument to jad, never starting mawk or exercising mawk input handling. Debian labels the CVE assignment bogus, so no code-execution or denial-of-service impact against mawk is established.
Summary
What happened
The published mawk 1.3.3-17 buffer-overflow claim is disputed because its cited exploit invokes the unrelated jad executable. The proof-of-concept builds a return-oriented payload and passes it as an argument to jad, never starting mawk or exercising mawk input handling. Debian labels the CVE assignment bogus, so no code-execution or denial-of-service impact against mawk is established.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2017-20229
- Published
- Mar 28, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 28, 2026
- Vendor
- mawk
- Product
- mawk
- Classifications
- CWE-787
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 28, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 28, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1.3.3-17
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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