HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-6553
HIGH

CVE-2018-6553

NVD-CWE-noinfoPublished: August 10, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

8.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The CUPS AppArmor profile incorrectly confined the dnssd backend due to use of hard links. A local attacker could possibly use this issue to escape confinement. This flaw affects versions prior to 2.2.7-1ubuntu2.1 in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, prior to 2.2.4-7ubuntu3.1 in Ubuntu 17.10, prior to 2.1.3-4ubuntu0.5 in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, and prior to 1.7.2-0ubuntu1.10 in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-6553 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

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 8.8.

The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
cups1 product(s)
cups
Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
Source: NVD CPE · 7 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
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Official Patches & Advisories

All References (8)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-6553
CVSS Score8.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedAug 10, 2018

Related CVEs (NVD-CWE-noinfo)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2018-6553 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.