CVE-2018-16888

Name: CVE-2018-16888
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2019-01-14T22:29:00.233+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 4.7/10EPSS 0.30%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2018-16888 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 4.7/10 on the CVSS scale. It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it to kill processes. When a service is run from an unprivileged user (e.g. EPSS estimates a 0.30% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it to kill processes. When a service is run from an unprivileged user (e.g. User field set in the service file), a local attacker who is able to write to the PIDFile of the mentioned service may use this flaw to trick systemd into killing other services and/or privileged processes. Versions before v237 are vulnerable.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

4.7/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.30%

21.4th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Systemd Project	Systemd	< 237
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	16.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	18.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	19.10
Redhat	Enterprise Linux	7.0
Netapp	Active Iq Performance Analytics Services	All versions
Netapp	Element Software	All versions

References

https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2091Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16888Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/5960a34a524848cd722fd7ab7e2227eac10107b0f90d9d1e9c3caa74%40%3Cuser.cassandra.apache.org%3E
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0007/Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4269-1/Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2091Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16888Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/5960a34a524848cd722fd7ab7e2227eac10107b0f90d9d1e9c3caa74%40%3Cuser.cassandra.apache.org%3E
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0007/Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4269-1/Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jan 14, 2019
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16888?

How severe is CVE-2018-16888?

CVE-2018-16888 has a CVSS score of 4.7/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.30% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2018-16888?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2018-16888?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST