How severe is CVE-2018-16840?

CVE-2018-16840 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-2018-16840 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-16840?

CVE-2018-16840 primarily affects Haxx Curl. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-16840?

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-2018-16840 published?

CVE-2018-16840 was published on 2018-10-31 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-16840

CVE-2018-16840 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Haxx Curl 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-416.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (87th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-416
Affected product: Haxx Curl
Published: 2018-10-31
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A heap use-after-free flaw was found in curl versions from 7.59.0 through 7.61.1 in the code related to closing an easy handle. When closing and cleaning up an 'easy' handle in the `Curl_close()` function, the library code first frees a struct (without nulling the pointer) and might then subsequently erroneously write to a struct field within that already freed struct.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-16840?: A heap use-after-free flaw was found in curl versions from 7.59.0 through 7.61.1 in the code related to closing an easy handle. When closing and cleaning up an 'easy' handle in the `Curl_close()` function, the library code first frees a struct (without nulling the pointer) and might then subsequently erroneously write to a struct field within that already freed struct.
How severe is CVE-2018-16840?: CVE-2018-16840 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-2018-16840 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-16840?: CVE-2018-16840 primarily affects Haxx Curl. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-16840?: 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-2018-16840 published?: CVE-2018-16840 was published on 2018-10-31 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (5)

cpe:2.3:a:haxx:curl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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CVE-2025-24085 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3,…
CVE-2024-43102 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Concurrent removals of certain anonymous shared memory mappings by using the UMTX_SHM_DESTROY sub-request of…
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