HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-17057
CRITICALPOC

CVE-2018-17057

CWE-502Published: September 14, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An issue was discovered in TCPDF before 6.2.22. Attackers can trigger deserialization of arbitrary data via the phar:// wrapper.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-17057 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 complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

A proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit exists for CVE-2018-17057. While not yet confirmed in active campaigns, the availability of PoC code increases exploitation risk substantially.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-502): Insecure deserialization vulnerabilities allow attackers to inject malicious objects during deserialization, potentially enabling remote code execution.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

limesurvey1 product(s)
limesurvey
tecnick1 product(s)
tcpdf
Source: NVD CPE · 2 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

POC AVAILABLEProof-of-concept code exists
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

All References (14)

http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Mar/36Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46634/Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Mar/36Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46634/Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-17057
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-502
CISA KEVNo
ExploitPOC
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedSep 14, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-502)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2018-17057 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.