How severe is CVE-2018-1122?

CVE-2018-1122 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-1122 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (67th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-1122?

CVE-2018-1122 primarily affects Procps-ng Project Procps-ng. In total, 9 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-1122?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2018-1122 published?

CVE-2018-1122 was published on 2018-05-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-1122

CVE-2018-1122 is a high-severity vulnerability in Procps-ng Project Procps-ng with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-829.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.3)
CVSS v2: 4.4
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (67th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-829
Affected product: Procps-ng Project Procps-ng
Published: 2018-05-23
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

procps-ng before version 3.3.15 is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation in top. If a user runs top with HOME unset in an attacker-controlled directory, the attacker could achieve privilege escalation by exploiting one of several vulnerabilities in the config_file() function.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-1122?: procps-ng before version 3.3.15 is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation in top. If a user runs top with HOME unset in an attacker-controlled directory, the attacker could achieve privilege escalation by exploiting one of several vulnerabilities in the config_file() function.
How severe is CVE-2018-1122?: CVE-2018-1122 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-1122 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (67th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-1122?: CVE-2018-1122 primarily affects Procps-ng Project Procps-ng. In total, 9 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-1122?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2018-1122 published?: CVE-2018-1122 was published on 2018-05-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (9)

cpe:2.3:a:procps-ng_project:procps-ng:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:17.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Procps-ng Project Procps-ng

CVE-2018-1124 — High (CVSS 7.8): procps-ng before version 3.3.15 is vulnerable to multiple integer overflows leading to a heap corruption in file2strvec…
CVE-2018-1125 — High (CVSS 7.5): procps-ng before version 3.3.15 is vulnerable to a stack buffer overflow in pgrep. This vulnerability is mitigated by…
CVE-2018-1126 — Medium (CVSS 4.8): procps-ng before version 3.3.15 is vulnerable to an incorrect integer size in proc/alloc.* leading to…
CVE-2018-1123 — Low (CVSS 3.9): procps-ng before version 3.3.15 is vulnerable to a denial of service in ps via mmap buffer overflow. Inbuilt protection…

All CVEs affecting Procps-ng Project Procps-ng →

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