HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-20836

HIGH

CVE-2018-20836

CWE-362Published: May 7, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

8.1

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An issue was discovered in the Linux kernel before 4.20. There is a race condition in smp_task_timedout() and smp_task_done() in drivers/scsi/libsas/sas_expander.c, leading to a use-after-free.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-20836 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 8.1.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork

Attack ComplexityHigh

Privileges Req.None

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)

ubuntu linux

Debian1 product(s)

debian linux

f51 product(s)

traffix signaling delivery controller

Linux1 product(s)

linux kernel

netapp8 product(s)

active iq unified managersnapprotectsolidfire \& hci management nodesolidfire \& hci storage nodestorage replication adapter for clustered data ontapvasa provider for clustered data ontapvirtual storage consolehci compute node

openSUSE1 product(s)

leap

Source: NVD CPE · 17 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

PATCHhttps://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=b90cd6f2b905905fb42671009dc0e27c310a16ae

PATCHhttps://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/b90cd6f2b905905fb42671009dc0e27c310a16ae

PATCHhttps://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=b90cd6f2b905905fb42671009dc0e27c310a16ae

PATCHhttps://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/b90cd6f2b905905fb42671009dc0e27c310a16ae

ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-07/msg00014.html

ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-07/msg00025.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/108196

ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00016.html

ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00017.html

ADVISORYhttps://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Aug/13

ADVISORYhttps://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Aug/18

ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190719-0003/

ADVISORYhttps://support.f5.com/csp/article/K11225249

ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/4076-1/

ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4495

ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4497

ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-07/msg00014.html

ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-07/msg00025.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/108196

ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00016.html

ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00017.html

ADVISORYhttps://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Aug/13

ADVISORYhttps://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Aug/18

ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190719-0003/

ADVISORYhttps://support.f5.com/csp/article/K11225249

ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/4076-1/

ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4495

ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4497

All References (28)

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-07/msg00014.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-07/msg00025.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/108196Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry

→

https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=b90cd6f2b905905fb42671009dc0e27c310a16aePatch · Vendor Advisory

→

https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/b90cd6f2b905905fb42671009dc0e27c310a16aePatch · Vendor Advisory

→

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00016.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00017.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Aug/13Mailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Aug/18Mailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190719-0003/Third Party Advisory

→

https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K11225249Third Party Advisory

→

https://usn.ubuntu.com/4076-1/Third Party Advisory

→

https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4495Third Party Advisory

→

https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4497Third Party Advisory

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-07/msg00014.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-20836

CVSS Score8.1 / 10

SeverityHIGH

WeaknessCWE-362

CISA KEVNo

Affected6 vendor(s)

PublishedMay 7, 2019

Related CVEs (CWE-362)

Recommended Actions

→Apply vendor patches immediately
→Monitor CVE-2018-20836 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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