How severe is CVE-2018-12886?

CVE-2018-12886 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-12886 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (80th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-12886?

CVE-2018-12886 affects Gnu Gcc. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-12886?

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-2018-12886 published?

CVE-2018-12886 was published on 2019-05-22 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-12886

CVE-2018-12886 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gnu Gcc with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1. 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-209.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.1)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (80th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-209
Affected product: Gnu Gcc
Published: 2019-05-22
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

stack_protect_prologue in cfgexpand.c and stack_protect_epilogue in function.c in GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) 4.1 through 8 (under certain circumstances) generate instruction sequences when targeting ARM targets that spill the address of the stack protector guard, which allows an attacker to bypass the protection of -fstack-protector, -fstack-protector-all, -fstack-protector-strong, and -fstack-protector-explicit against stack overflow by controlling what the stack canary is compared against.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-12886?: stack_protect_prologue in cfgexpand.c and stack_protect_epilogue in function.c in GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) 4.1 through 8 (under certain circumstances) generate instruction sequences when targeting ARM targets that spill the address of the stack protector guard, which allows an attacker to bypass the protection of -fstack-protector, -fstack-protector-all, -fstack-protector-strong, and -fstack-protector-explicit against stack overflow by controlling what the stack canary is compared against.
How severe is CVE-2018-12886?: CVE-2018-12886 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-12886 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (80th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-12886?: CVE-2018-12886 affects Gnu Gcc. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-12886?: 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-2018-12886 published?: CVE-2018-12886 was published on 2019-05-22 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:gcc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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