Description
BWA (aka Burrow-Wheeler Aligner) before 2019-01-23 has a stack-based buffer overflow in the bns_restore function in bntseq.c via a long sequence name in a .alt file.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | bwa | 0.7.17-3 | — |
| Debian 13 | bwa | 0.7.17-3 | — |
| Debian 12 | bwa | 0.7.17-3 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | bwa | 0.7.17-1ubuntu0.1 | USN-4087-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | bwa | 0.7.12-5ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-4857-1 |
Advisories 2
- USN-4857-1 bwa vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Jun 25, 2026
- USN-4087-1 BWA vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026