HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-18751

CRITICAL

CVE-2018-18751

CWE-415Published: October 29, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An issue was discovered in GNU gettext 0.19.8. There is a double free in default_add_message in read-catalog.c, related to an invalid free in po_gram_parse in po-gram-gen.y, as demonstrated by lt-msgfmt.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-18751 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.

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

Canonical1 product(s)

ubuntu linux

gnu1 product(s)

gettext

Red Hat1 product(s)

enterprise linux

Source: NVD CPE · 7 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

Security advisories & exploits

Official NIST entry

CVE Program entry

External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://github.com/CCCCCrash/POCs/tree/master/Bin/Tools-gettext-0.19.8.1/doublefree

ADVISORYhttps://github.com/CCCCCrash/POCs/tree/master/Bin/Tools-gettext-0.19.8.1/heapcorruption

ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3815-1/

ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3815-2/

ADVISORYhttps://github.com/CCCCCrash/POCs/tree/master/Bin/Tools-gettext-0.19.8.1/doublefree

ADVISORYhttps://github.com/CCCCCrash/POCs/tree/master/Bin/Tools-gettext-0.19.8.1/heapcorruption

ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3815-1/

ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3815-2/

All References (16)

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00061.html

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00065.html

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00025.html

→

https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3643

→

https://github.com/CCCCCrash/POCs/tree/master/Bin/Tools-gettext-0.19.8.1/doublefreeExploit · Third Party Advisory

→

https://github.com/CCCCCrash/POCs/tree/master/Bin/Tools-gettext-0.19.8.1/heapcorruptionExploit · Third Party Advisory

→

https://usn.ubuntu.com/3815-1/Third Party Advisory

→

https://usn.ubuntu.com/3815-2/Third Party Advisory

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00061.html

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00065.html

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00025.html

→

https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3643

→

https://github.com/CCCCCrash/POCs/tree/master/Bin/Tools-gettext-0.19.8.1/doublefreeExploit · Third Party Advisory

→

https://github.com/CCCCCrash/POCs/tree/master/Bin/Tools-gettext-0.19.8.1/heapcorruptionExploit · Third Party Advisory

→

https://usn.ubuntu.com/3815-1/Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-18751

CVSS Score9.8 / 10

SeverityCRITICAL

WeaknessCWE-415

CISA KEVNo

Affected3 vendor(s)

PublishedOct 29, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-415)

Recommended Actions

→Apply vendor patches immediately
→Monitor CVE-2018-18751 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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