Description
Lua 5.3.5 has a use-after-free in lua_upvaluejoin in lapi.c. For example, a crash outcome might be achieved by an attacker who is able to trigger a debug.upvaluejoin call in which the arguments have certain relationships.
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 | lua5.3 | 5.3.6-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | lua5.3 | 5.3.6-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | lua5.3 | 5.3.6-1 | — |
| Debian 10 | lua5.3 | 5.3.3-1.1+deb10u1 | DLA-3469-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | lua5.3 | 5.3.3-1ubuntu0.18.04.1 | USN-3941-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | lua5.3 | 5.3.1-1ubuntu2.1 | USN-3941-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 8 | lua +2 | 5.3.4-11.el8 | RHSA-2019:3706 |
AlmaLinux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux 8 | lua +1 | 5.3.4-11.el8 | ALSA-2019:3706 |
Rocky Linux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Linux 8 | lua | 5.3.4-11.el8 | RLSA-2019:3706 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 | lua53 | 5.3.4-3.3.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0247-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Leap 15.0 | lua53 | 5.3.4-lp150.2.3.1 | openSUSE-SU-2019:0175-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
Show 14 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | lua5.3 +1 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.13 | lua5.3 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.12 | lua5.3 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.11 | lua5.3 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.10 | lua5.3 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.9 | lua5.3 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.8 | lua5.3 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.7 | lua5.3 | 5.3.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.6 | lua5.3 | 5.3.5-r2 | — |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 2 (CBL-Mariner) | lua | 5.3.5-11 | — |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 8 | lua +2 | 5.3.4-11.el8 | ELSA-2019-3706 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- Lua 5.3.5 - 'debug.upvaluejoin' Use After Free EDB-46246 · dos · Jan 25, 2019
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 9
- ALSA-2019:3706 Moderate: lua security and bug fix update AlmaLinux Security Advisories · Oct 29, 2026
- WID-SEC-2026-4026 Red Hat OpenShift: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Oct 18, 2026
- RHSA-2019:3706 Red Hat Security Advisory: lua security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Aug 5, 2026
- USN-3941-1 lua5.3 vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- DLA-3469-1 lua5.3 - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- RLSA-2019:3706 Moderate: lua security and bug fix update Rocky Linux Security Advisories · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2019:0247-1 Security update for lua53 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2019:0175-1 Security update for lua53 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · May 2, 2025
- ELSA-2019-3706 Moderate: lua security and bug fix update (Oracle Linux 8) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Nov 14, 2019
References
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/151335/Lua-5.3.5-Use-After-Free.html
- https://github.com/Lua-Project/cve-analysis/blob/a43c9ccd00274b31fa2f24c6c8f20ce36655682d/CVE-2019-6706.pdf
- https://github.com/lua/lua/commit/89aee84cbc9224f638f3b7951b306d2ee8ecb71e
- http://lua-users.org/lists/lua-l/2019-01/msg00039.html
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2019-6706
- [debian-lts-announce] 20230622 [SECURITY] [DLA 3469-1] lua5.3 security update mailing-list