How severe is CVE-2018-17159?

CVE-2018-17159 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-17159 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-2018-17159?

CVE-2018-17159 primarily affects Freebsd. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-17159?

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-2018-17159 published?

CVE-2018-17159 was published on 2018-12-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-17159

CVE-2018-17159 is a high-severity vulnerability in Freebsd with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. 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-400.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 7.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (90th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-400
Affected product: Freebsd
Published: 2018-12-04
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In FreeBSD before 11.2-STABLE(r340854) and 11.2-RELEASE-p5, the NFS server lacks a bounds check in the READDIRPLUS NFS request. Unprivileged remote users with access to the NFS server can cause a resource exhaustion by forcing the server to allocate an arbitrarily large memory allocation.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-17159?: In FreeBSD before 11.2-STABLE(r340854) and 11.2-RELEASE-p5, the NFS server lacks a bounds check in the READDIRPLUS NFS request. Unprivileged remote users with access to the NFS server can cause a resource exhaustion by forcing the server to allocate an arbitrarily large memory allocation.
How severe is CVE-2018-17159?: CVE-2018-17159 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-17159 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-2018-17159?: CVE-2018-17159 primarily affects Freebsd. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-17159?: 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-2018-17159 published?: CVE-2018-17159 was published on 2018-12-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.2:p5:*:*:*:*:*:*

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