CVE-2018-18385
CVE-2018-18385 is a high-severity vulnerability in Asciidoctor 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-835.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
- CVSS v2: 5.0
- EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-835
- Affected product: Asciidoctor
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Asciidoctor in versions < 1.5.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop). The loop was caused by the fact that Parser.next_block was not exhausting all the lines in the reader as the while loop expected it would. This was happening because the regular expression that detects any list was not agreeing with the regular expression that detects a specific list type. So the line kept getting pushed back onto the reader, hence causing the loop.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2018-18385?
- Asciidoctor in versions < 1.5.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop). The loop was caused by the fact that Parser.next_block was not exhausting all the lines in the reader as the while loop expected it would. This was happening because the regular expression that detects any list was not agreeing with the regular expression that detects a specific list type. So the line kept getting pushed back onto the reader, hence causing the loop.
- How severe is CVE-2018-18385?
- CVE-2018-18385 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-2018-18385 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2018-18385?
- CVE-2018-18385 affects Asciidoctor. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2018-18385?
- 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-2018-18385 published?
- CVE-2018-18385 was published on 2018-10-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
Affected products (1)
- cpe:2.3:a:asciidoctor:asciidoctor:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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