HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-16890
HIGH

CVE-2018-16890

CWE-125Published: February 6, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

libcurl versions from 7.36.0 to before 7.64.0 is vulnerable to a heap buffer out-of-bounds read. The function handling incoming NTLM type-2 messages (`lib/vauth/ntlm.c:ntlm_decode_type2_target`) does not validate incoming data correctly and is subject to an integer overflow vulnerability. Using that overflow, a malicious or broken NTLM server could trick libcurl to accept a bad length + offset combination that would lead to a buffer read out-of-bounds.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-16890 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

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 availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
f51 product(s)
big-ip access policy manager
haxx1 product(s)
libcurl
netapp1 product(s)
clustered data ontap
Oracle3 product(s)
communications operations monitorhttp serversecure global desktop
Red Hat1 product(s)
enterprise linux
siemens1 product(s)
sinema remote connect client
Source: NVD CPE · 14 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

PATCHhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16890
PATCHhttps://curl.haxx.se/docs/CVE-2018-16890.html
PATCHhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190315-0001/
PATCHhttps://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2019-5072813.html
PATCHhttps://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpujul2019-5072835.html
PATCHhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16890
PATCHhttps://curl.haxx.se/docs/CVE-2018-16890.html
PATCHhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190315-0001/
PATCHhttps://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2019-5072813.html
PATCHhttps://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpujul2019-5072835.html
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106947
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3701
ADVISORYhttps://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-436177.pdf
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3882-1/
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4386
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106947
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3701
ADVISORYhttps://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-436177.pdf
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3882-1/
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4386

All References (24)

→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106947Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3701Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16890Issue Tracking · Mitigation · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-436177.pdfThird Party Advisory
→
https://curl.haxx.se/docs/CVE-2018-16890.htmlPatch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/8338a0f605bdbb3a6098bb76f666a95fc2b2f53f37fa1ecc89f1146f%40%3Cdevnull.infra.apache.org%3E
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190315-0001/Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K03314397?utm_source=f5support&amp%3Butm_medium=RSS
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3882-1/Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4386Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2019-5072813.htmlPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpujul2019-5072835.htmlPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106947Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3701Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16890Issue Tracking · Mitigation · Patch · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-16890
CVSS Score7.5 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-125
CISA KEVNo
Affected8 vendor(s)
PublishedFeb 6, 2019

Related CVEs (CWE-125)

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CVE-2017-14451
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CVE-2009-2523
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CVE-2026-34987
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Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-16890 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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