CVE-2018-16525
CVE-2018-16525 is a high-severity vulnerability in Amazon Amazon Web Services Freertos 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.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.1)
- CVSS v2: 6.8
- EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (90th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Affected product: Amazon Amazon Web Services Freertos
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Amazon Web Services (AWS) FreeRTOS through 1.3.1, FreeRTOS up to V10.0.1 (with FreeRTOS+TCP), and WITTENSTEIN WHIS Connect middleware TCP/IP component allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or leak information because of a Buffer Overflow during parsing of DNS\LLMNR packets in prvParseDNSReply.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2018-16525?
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) FreeRTOS through 1.3.1, FreeRTOS up to V10.0.1 (with FreeRTOS+TCP), and WITTENSTEIN WHIS Connect middleware TCP/IP component allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or leak information because of a Buffer Overflow during parsing of DNS\LLMNR packets in prvParseDNSReply.
- How severe is CVE-2018-16525?
- CVE-2018-16525 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-2018-16525 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2018-16525?
- CVE-2018-16525 primarily affects Amazon Amazon Web Services Freertos. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2018-16525?
- 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-2018-16525 published?
- CVE-2018-16525 was published on 2018-12-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://blog.zimperium.com/freertos-tcpip-stack-vulnerabilities-details/
- https://blog.zimperium.com/freertos-tcpip-stack-vulnerabilities-put-wide-range-devices-risk-compromise-smart-homes-critical-infrastructure-systems/
- https://github.com/aws/amazon-freertos/blob/v1.3.2/CHANGELOG.md
Affected products (2)
- cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_freertos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:amazon:freertos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
More vulnerabilities in Amazon Amazon Web Services Freertos
- CVE-2018-16601 — High (CVSS 8.1): An issue was discovered in Amazon Web Services (AWS) FreeRTOS through 1.3.1, FreeRTOS up to V10.0.1 (with…
- CVE-2018-16528 — High (CVSS 8.1): Amazon Web Services (AWS) FreeRTOS through 1.3.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code because of mbedTLS…
- CVE-2018-16526 — High (CVSS 8.1): Amazon Web Services (AWS) FreeRTOS through 1.3.1, FreeRTOS up to V10.0.1 (with FreeRTOS+TCP), and WITTENSTEIN WHIS…
- CVE-2018-16522 — High (CVSS 8.1): Amazon Web Services (AWS) FreeRTOS through 1.3.1 has an uninitialized pointer free in SOCKETS_SetSockOpt.
- CVE-2019-13120 — High (CVSS 7.5): Amazon FreeRTOS up to and including v1.4.8 lacks length checking in prvProcessReceivedPublish, resulting in…
- CVE-2018-16523 — High (CVSS 7.4): Amazon Web Services (AWS) FreeRTOS through 1.3.1, FreeRTOS up to V10.0.1 (with FreeRTOS+TCP), and WITTENSTEIN WHIS…