Wget Vulnerabilities Expose Ubuntu Systems to Remote Attacks
Multiple vulnerabilities in Wget affect various Ubuntu LTS versions, potentially allowing attackers to redirect connections, cause denial of service, or execute arbitrary code.
TL;DR
- Wget vulnerabilities affect multiple Ubuntu LTS versions including 14.04 through 26.04.
- Attackers could exploit URL parsing flaws to redirect users to unintended hosts.
- Integer overflow and charset conversion issues may lead to crashes or code execution.
- Denial of service risks arise from improper handling of Metalink documents and filenames.
- Organizations using affected Ubuntu versions should apply updates immediately.
Ubuntu has disclosed several high-risk vulnerabilities in the widely used Wget utility, raising concerns for enterprise environments relying on secure file transfers. These flaws span multiple Ubuntu Long Term Support releases and could allow remote attackers to manipulate connections, disrupt services, or compromise system integrity.
The most concerning issues involve URL parsing errors that can mislead users into connecting to malicious servers, alongside memory handling problems that may crash Wget or enable arbitrary code execution. Given Wget's prevalence in automated scripts and deployment pipelines, these vulnerabilities pose significant risk to development and operations teams.
Connection Redirection and Parsing Flaws
- CVE-2024-38428 affects Ubuntu 14.04 LTS by improperly handling semicolons in URL userinfo components
- This allows attackers to craft URLs that appear legitimate but connect to different hosts than intended
- Users clicking malicious links could unknowingly send credentials or data to attacker-controlled servers
Denial of Service and Code Execution Risks
- CVE-2026-58469 impacts Ubuntu 18.04 through 26.04 via whitespace-only URLs in Metalink documents
- CVE-2026-58471 causes crashes or potential code execution through faulty character set conversion of server filenames
- Both issues can be triggered remotely without authentication, making them attractive attack vectors
- Automated systems using Wget for downloads are particularly vulnerable to service disruption
Data Integrity and Protocol Handling Issues
- CVE-2026-58470 creates integer overflow when processing Content-Range headers
- This leads to download desynchronization where partial files may be corrupted or incomplete
- Systems relying on Wget for critical updates or configuration files face data integrity risks
- Attackers could potentially serve truncated or modified content without detection
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