HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-16949
HIGH

CVE-2018-16949

CWE-400Published: September 12, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used as RPC input variables were implemented as unbounded array types, limited only by the inherent 32-bit length field to 4 GB. An unauthenticated attacker could send, or claim to send, large input values and consume server resources waiting for those inputs, denying service to other valid connections.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-16949 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:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
openafs1 product(s)
openafs
Source: NVD CPE · 3 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://openafs.org/pages/security/OPENAFS-SA-2018-003.txt
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106375
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00024.html
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4302
ADVISORYhttp://openafs.org/pages/security/OPENAFS-SA-2018-003.txt
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106375
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00024.html
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4302

All References (8)

→
http://openafs.org/pages/security/OPENAFS-SA-2018-003.txtVendor Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106375Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00024.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4302Third Party Advisory
→
http://openafs.org/pages/security/OPENAFS-SA-2018-003.txtVendor Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106375Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00024.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4302Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-16949
CVSS Score7.5 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-400
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedSep 12, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-400)

CVE-2025-61303
9.8
CVE-2019-2259
9.8
CVE-2025-43193
9.8
CVE-2026-30141
9.8
CVE-2019-10952
9.8
CVE-2017-9104
9.8

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-16949 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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