How severe is CVE-2018-17161?

CVE-2018-17161 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-2018-17161 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-2018-17161?

CVE-2018-17161 primarily affects Freebsd. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-17161?

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-2018-17161 published?

CVE-2018-17161 was published on 2019-01-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-17161

CVE-2018-17161 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Freebsd 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-119.

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-119
Affected product: Freebsd
Published: 2019-01-03
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In FreeBSD before 11.2-STABLE(r348229), 11.2-RELEASE-p7, 12.0-STABLE(r342228), and 12.0-RELEASE-p1, insufficient validation of network-provided data in bootpd may make it possible for a malicious attacker to craft a bootp packet which could cause a stack buffer overflow. It is possible that the buffer overflow could lead to a Denial of Service or remote code execution.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-17161?: In FreeBSD before 11.2-STABLE(r348229), 11.2-RELEASE-p7, 12.0-STABLE(r342228), and 12.0-RELEASE-p1, insufficient validation of network-provided data in bootpd may make it possible for a malicious attacker to craft a bootp packet which could cause a stack buffer overflow. It is possible that the buffer overflow could lead to a Denial of Service or remote code execution.
How severe is CVE-2018-17161?: CVE-2018-17161 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-2018-17161 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-2018-17161?: CVE-2018-17161 primarily affects Freebsd. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-17161?: 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-2018-17161 published?: CVE-2018-17161 was published on 2019-01-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.2:p2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.2:p3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.2:p4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.2:p5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.2:p6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*

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