How severe is CVE-2018-16402?

CVE-2018-16402 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-16402 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (88th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-16402?

CVE-2018-16402 primarily affects Elfutils Project Elfutils. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-16402?

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

When was CVE-2018-16402 published?

CVE-2018-16402 was published on 2018-09-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-16402

CVE-2018-16402 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Elfutils Project Elfutils with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-415.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (88th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-415
Affected product: Elfutils Project Elfutils
Published: 2018-09-03
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

libelf/elf_end.c in elfutils 0.173 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (double free and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact because it tries to decompress twice.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-16402?: libelf/elf_end.c in elfutils 0.173 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (double free and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact because it tries to decompress twice.
How severe is CVE-2018-16402?: CVE-2018-16402 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-16402 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (88th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-16402?: CVE-2018-16402 primarily affects Elfutils Project Elfutils. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-16402?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2018-16402 published?: CVE-2018-16402 was published on 2018-09-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (10)

cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.173:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Elfutils Project Elfutils

CVE-2018-8769 — High (CVSS 7.8): elfutils 0.170 has a buffer over-read in the ebl_dynamic_tag_name function of libebl/ebldynamictagname.c because…
CVE-2014-0172 — Medium (CVSS 6.8): Integer overflow in the check_section function in dwarf_begin_elf.c in the libdw library, as used in elfutils 0.153 and…
CVE-2019-7149 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): A heap-based buffer over-read was discovered in the function read_srclines in dwarf_getsrclines.c in libdw in elfutils…
CVE-2019-7148 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): An attempted excessive memory allocation was discovered in the function read_long_names in elf_begin.c in libelf in…
CVE-2018-18520 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): An Invalid Memory Address Dereference exists in the function elf_end in libelf in elfutils through v0.174. Although…
CVE-2014-9447 — Medium (CVSS 6.4): Directory traversal vulnerability in the read_long_names function in libelf/elf_begin.c in elfutils 0.152 and 0.161…

All CVEs affecting Elfutils Project Elfutils →

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CVE-2026-43011 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/x25: Fix potential double free of skb When…
CVE-2026-31609 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: avoid double-free in…
CVE-2026-31608 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: server: avoid double-free in…

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