CVE-2018-15686

Public Exploit
systemd: reexec state injection: fgets() on overlong lines leads to line splitting

Description

A vulnerability in unit_deserialize of systemd allows an attacker to supply arbitrary state across systemd re-execution via NotifyAccess. This can be used to improperly influence systemd execution and possibly lead to root privilege escalation. Affected releases are systemd versions up to and including 239.

Category

7.8
CVSS
Severity: High
CVSS 3.1 •
CVSS 3.0 •
CVSS 2.0 •
EPSS 2.03% Top 20%
Vendor Advisory gentoo.org Vendor Advisory ubuntu.com Vendor Advisory redhat.com Vendor Advisory redhat.com Vendor Advisory redhat.com
Affected: systemd systemd
Published at:
Updated at:

References

Link Tags
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201810-10 vendor advisory third party advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/11/msg00017.html third party advisory mailing list
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105747 vdb entry third party advisory
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45714/ third party advisory exploit vdb entry
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3816-1/ vendor advisory third party advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2091 vendor advisory third party advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3222 vendor advisory third party advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0593 vendor advisory third party advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1b103833cb5bc8466e24ff0ecc5e75b45a705334ab6a444e64e840a0%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E mailing list
https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html third party advisory
https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/10519 patch third party advisory

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2018-15686?
CVE-2018-15686 has been scored as a high severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2018-15686?
To fix CVE-2018-15686, make sure you are using an up-to-date version of the affected component(s) by checking the vendor release notes. As for now, there are no other specific guidelines available.
Is CVE-2018-15686 being actively exploited in the wild?
It is possible that CVE-2018-15686 is being exploited or will be exploited in a near future based on public information. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~2% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.
What software or system is affected by CVE-2018-15686?
CVE-2018-15686 affects systemd systemd.
This platform uses data from the NIST NVD, MITRE CVE, MITRE CWE, First.org and CISA KEV but is not endorsed or certified by these entities. CVE is a registred trademark of the MITRE Corporation and the authoritative source of CVE content is MITRE's CVE web site. CWE is a registred trademark of the MITRE Corporation and the authoritative source of CWE content is MITRE's CWE web site.
© 2025 Under My Watch. All Rights Reserved.