HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-16869
MEDIUM

CVE-2018-16869

CWE-203Published: December 3, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

5.7
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A Bleichenbacher type side-channel based padding oracle attack was found in the way nettle handles endian conversion of RSA decrypted PKCS#1 v1.5 data. An attacker who is able to run a process on the same physical core as the victim process, could use this flaw extract plaintext or in some cases downgrade any TLS connections to a vulnerable server.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-16869 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), with a CVSS base score of 5.7.

The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorPhysical
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N

Affected Vendors & Products

nettle_project1 product(s)
nettle
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttp://cat.eyalro.net/
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106092
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16869
ADVISORYhttp://cat.eyalro.net/
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106092
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16869

All References (6)

→
http://cat.eyalro.net/Technical Description · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106092Broken Link · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16869Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
http://cat.eyalro.net/Technical Description · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106092Broken Link · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16869Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-16869
CVSS Score5.7 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-203
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedDec 3, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-203)

CVE-2023-40756
9.8
CVE-2023-50708
9.8
CVE-2025-27667
9.8
CVE-2019-25337
9.8
CVE-2024-23771
9.8
CVE-2024-25190
9.8

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-16869 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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