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Out-of-bounds WriteWeakness · CWE-787

CVE-2026-44062

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A missing output length bounds check in pull_charset_flags() in Netatalk 2.0.4 through 4.4.2 allows a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via crafted character set data.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A missing output length bounds check in pull_charset_flags() in Netatalk versions 2.0.4 through 4.4.2 allows a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by sending crafted character set data. This is a buffer overflow vulnerability in character set processing logic.

MitigationUpgrade Netatalk to version 4.4.3 or later which includes proper bounds checking in pull_charset_flags(). If upgrading is not possible, restrict AFP access to trusted authenticated users only.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if Netatalk is installed
    Run 'dpkg -l netatalk' on Debian/Ubuntu, 'rpm -q netatalk' on RHEL/CentOS, or 'which afpd' to locate the AFP daemon. On macOS Server, check '/usr/sbin/afpd' or consult Netatalk documentation for your system.
    Affected if Netatalk is not found on the system, then the system is not affected by this specific vulnerability.
  2. Determine installed Netatalk version
    Run 'netatalk -V' or 'afpd -V' to display the version. If unavailable, check the package manager: 'dpkg -s netatalk | grep Version' or 'rpm -qi netatalk'. Document the exact version number returned.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the range 2.0.4 through 4.4.2 inclusive, meaning the system contains the vulnerable code.
  3. Verify character set handling is enabled
    Examine the Netatalk configuration file (typically '/etc/netatalk/afp.conf' or '/etc/afp.conf') for character set related settings. Look for 'charset' parameters or modules that handle Mac charset conversion. Also check for loaded charset modules in the configuration.
    Affected if Character set handling features or charset conversion modules are enabled in the Netatalk configuration, making the vulnerable pull_charset_flags() function potentially reachable.
  4. Confirm AFP service is exposed
    Review network exposure by checking listening services: 'netstat -tlnp | grep afpd' or 'ss -tlnp | grep afpd'. Verify if the AFP service is bound to network interfaces accessible to authenticated users or attackers.
    Affected if The AFP service is listening on a network interface, indicating remote attackers could potentially send crafted character set data to trigger the buffer overflow.

The system is affected if Netatalk is installed with a version between 2.0.4 and 4.4.2 and the AFP service with character set handling is network-accessible to authenticated users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Netatalk to version 4.4.3 or later which includes proper bounds checking in pull_charset_flags(). If upgrading is not possible, restrict AFP access to trusted authenticated users only.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to the latest stable Netatalk release (version newer than 4.4.2) from netatalk.io

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Netatalk version using 'netatalk -V' or checking your package manager.
  2. 2. Confirm the version falls within the affected range: 2.0.4 through 4.4.2.
  3. 3. Check netatalk.io for the latest stable release version (ensure it is newer than 4.4.2).
  4. 4. Back up all Netatalk configuration files (typically in /etc/netatalk/).
  5. 5. Stop the Netatalk service: 'systemctl stop netatalk' or 'service netatalk stop'.
  6. 6. Upgrade Netatalk to the latest version using your package manager or compile from source.
  7. 7. Verify the new version is installed: 'netatalk -V'.
  8. 8. Restore configuration from backup if needed, reviewing for any deprecated settings.
Caveat Review release notes for any deprecated features or configuration changes between your current version and the new version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,440
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-44062 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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