Description
GNU Aspell contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in ReadOnlyDict::load() in readonly_ws.cpp. When loading a binary .rws dictionary file, it uses offset fields from the file header as byte indices into a heap buffer without validating their bounds. An attacker can trigger this by convincing a user to run aspell with a crafted dictionary file supplied through --master, --dict-dir, or configuration options, leading to heap memory disclosure or a denial of service via application crash.
This issue was fixed in commit 941953b25031bc9104e83f58e138a664b8dedc3f which will be released in version 0.60.8.3.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| GNU | Aspell | < 0.60.8.3 | 0.60.8.3 |
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 | aspell | 0.60.8.2-4 | — |
| Debian 13 | aspell | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | aspell | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | aspell | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | aspell | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | aspell | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | aspell | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | aspell | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | aspell | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | aspell | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | aspell | No fix yet | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | aspell | 0.60.8-150200.3.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5134-1 |
| SLES 15 SP6 | aspell | 0.60.8-150200.3.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5134-1 |
| SLES 15 SP5 | aspell | 0.60.8-150200.3.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5134-1 |
| SLES 15 SP4 | aspell | 0.60.8-150200.3.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5134-1 |
| SLES 12 SP5 | aspell | 0.60.6.1-18.18.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5163-1 |
Show 5 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 15 SP6 | aspell | 0.60.8-150200.3.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5134-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP5 | aspell | 0.60.8-150200.3.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5134-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP4 | aspell | 0.60.8-150200.3.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5134-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP5 | aspell | 0.60.8-150200.3.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5134-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP4 | aspell | 0.60.8-150200.3.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5134-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | aspell | 0.60.8.2-2.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:12079-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | aspell +1 | 12:0.60.8-7.amzn2023.0.3 | ALAS2023-2026-3275 |
| Amazon Linux 2 | aspell +1 | 12:0.60.6.1-22.amzn2.0.1 | ALAS2-2026-4022 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | aspell | 0.60.8.1-2 | — |
Advisories 5
- SUSE-SU-2026:5163-1 Security update for aspell SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Nov 10, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:5134-1 Security update for aspell SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Nov 10, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-3275 Important: aspell security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Oct 26, 2026
- ALAS2-2026-4022 Important: aspell security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Oct 26, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:12079-1 aspell-0.60.8.2-2.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Oct 9, 2026
References
- https://cert.pl/en/posts/2026/10/CVE-2026-75818 third-party-advisory
- http://aspell.net/ product