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.
CVE-2026-103658 is fixed in 4 products on 1 platform, first by RHSA-2026:92615, released October 30, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.
GNU Aspell is a spell checker designed to eventually replace Ispell. It can either be used as a library or as an independent spell checker. Security Fix(es): * aspell: aspell: Arbitrary code execution via crafted dictionary file (CVE-2026-103658) For more details about the security issue(s), including the impact, a CVSS score, acknowledgments, and other related information, refer to the CVE page(s) listed in the References section.
Where it's fixed
| Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | |||
| aspell · Debian 14 | 0.60.8.2-4 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-103658 | Nov 1, 2026 |
| aspell · RHEL 8 | 12:0.60.6.1-23.el8_10 | RHSA-2026:92615 | Oct 30, 2026 |
| aspell · RHEL 9 | 12:0.60.8-9.el9_8 | RHSA-2026:92458 | Oct 30, 2026 |
| aspell · almalinux 8 | 12:0.60.6.1-23.el8_10 | ALSA-2026:92615 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell · almalinux 9 | 12:0.60.8-9.el9_8 | ALSA-2026:92458 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell · amzn 2023 | 12:0.60.8-7.amzn2023.0.3 | ALAS2023-2026-3275 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell · ol 8 | 12:0.60.6.1-23.el8_10 | ELSA-2026-92615 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell · ol 9 | 12:0.60.8-9.el9_8 | ELSA-2026-92458 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell · rocky 8 | 2:0.60.6.1-23.el8_10 | RLSA-2026:92615 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell · rocky 9 | 2:0.60.8-9.el9_8 | RLSA-2026:92458 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell-debuginfo · amzn 2023 | 12:0.60.8-7.amzn2023.0.3 | ALAS2023-2026-3275 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell-debugsource · amzn 2023 | 12:0.60.8-7.amzn2023.0.3 | ALAS2023-2026-3275 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell-devel · RHEL 8 | 12:0.60.6.1-23.el8_10 | RHSA-2026:92615 | Oct 30, 2026 |
| aspell-devel · RHEL 9 | 12:0.60.8-9.el9_8 | RHSA-2026:92458 | Oct 30, 2026 |
| aspell-devel · almalinux 8 | 12:0.60.6.1-23.el8_10 | ALSA-2026:92615 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell-devel · almalinux 9 | 12:0.60.8-9.el9_8 | ALSA-2026:92458 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell-devel · amzn 2023 | 12:0.60.8-7.amzn2023.0.3 | ALAS2023-2026-3275 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell-devel · ol 8 | 12:0.60.6.1-23.el8_10 | ELSA-2026-92615 | Nov 7, 2026 |
| aspell-devel · ol 9 | 12:0.60.8-9.el9_8 | ELSA-2026-92458 | Nov 7, 2026 |
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