HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-16888
MEDIUM

CVE-2018-16888

CWE-250Published: January 14, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

4.7
CVSS v3.1

Official 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.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-16888 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 4.7.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
netapp2 product(s)
active iq performance analytics serviceselement software
Red Hat1 product(s)
enterprise linux
systemd_project1 product(s)
systemd
Source: NVD CPE · 7 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
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Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16888
PATCHhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16888
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2091
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0007/
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/4269-1/
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2091
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0007/
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/4269-1/

All References (10)

→
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

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-16888
CVSS Score4.7 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-250
CISA KEVNo
Affected4 vendor(s)
PublishedJan 14, 2019

Related CVEs (CWE-250)

CVE-2026-4606
10.0
CVE-2026-44477
9.9
CVE-2026-50566
9.9
CVE-2024-3330
9.9
CVE-2024-8767
9.9
CVE-2025-32445
9.9

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-16888 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. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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