CVE-2017-20229 — MAWK 1.3.3-17 Stack-Based Buffer Overflow

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CRITICAL

MAWK 1.3.3-17 Stack-Based Buffer Overflow

Published Mar 28, 2026

9.3

CRITICAL

CVSS 4.0

EPSS 0.60%

Description

MAWK 1.3.3-17 and prior contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by exploiting inadequate boundary checks on user-supplied input. Attackers can craft malicious input that overflows the stack buffer and execute a return-oriented programming chain to spawn a shell with application privileges.

Affected products

Vendor Mawk Product MAWK Default
n/a
- Version
  1.3.3-17
  Status
  affected
  Constraints
  -

Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).

Vendor

Product

Default status

Versions

Mawk

MAWK

n/a

Version	Status	Constraints
1.3.3-17	affected	-

Remediation

No remediation recorded yet.

Metrics

0.60% 0.00602

Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.

EPSS probability 0.00602

Score over time

Mar–Oct 2026

EPSS v4
EPSS v5

Percentile over time

EPSS v4
EPSS v5

Table of values (3 key points)

Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.

Date	Score	Percentile	Model
Oct 1, 2026	0.60% (0.00602)	46.85th	v5 (v2026.06.15)
Jun 15, 2026	0.60% (0.00602)	43.92th	v5 (v2026.06.15)
Mar 28, 2026	0.08% (0.00077)	23.01th	v4 (v2025.03.14)

Weaknesses (1)

CWE-787

Out-of-bounds Write

References (2)

https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/42357
exploitVDB Entry
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/mawk-17-stack-based-buffer-overflow
third-party-advisoryThird Party Advisory

Link	Providers	Tags
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/42357		exploitVDB Entry
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/mawk-17-stack-based-buffer-overflow		third-party-advisoryThird Party Advisory