How severe is CVE-2018-18521?

CVE-2018-18521 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-18521 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (76th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-18521?

CVE-2018-18521 primarily affects Elfutils Project Elfutils. In total, 11 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-18521?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2018-18521 published?

CVE-2018-18521 was published on 2018-10-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-18521

CVE-2018-18521 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Elfutils Project Elfutils with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. 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-369.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (76th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-369
Affected product: Elfutils Project Elfutils
Published: 2018-10-19
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Divide-by-zero vulnerabilities in the function arlib_add_symbols() in arlib.c in elfutils 0.174 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) with a crafted ELF file, as demonstrated by eu-ranlib, because a zero sh_entsize is mishandled.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-18521?: Divide-by-zero vulnerabilities in the function arlib_add_symbols() in arlib.c in elfutils 0.174 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) with a crafted ELF file, as demonstrated by eu-ranlib, because a zero sh_entsize is mishandled.
How severe is CVE-2018-18521?: CVE-2018-18521 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-18521 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (76th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-18521?: CVE-2018-18521 primarily affects Elfutils Project Elfutils. In total, 11 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-18521?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-18521 published?: CVE-2018-18521 was published on 2018-10-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (11)

cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.174:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Elfutils Project Elfutils

CVE-2018-16402 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): libelf/elf_end.c in elfutils 0.173 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (double free and application…
CVE-2018-8769 — High (CVSS 7.8): elfutils 0.170 has a buffer over-read in the ebl_dynamic_tag_name function of libebl/ebldynamictagname.c because…
CVE-2014-0172 — Medium (CVSS 6.8): Integer overflow in the check_section function in dwarf_begin_elf.c in the libdw library, as used in elfutils 0.153 and…
CVE-2019-7149 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): A heap-based buffer over-read was discovered in the function read_srclines in dwarf_getsrclines.c in libdw in elfutils…
CVE-2019-7148 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): An attempted excessive memory allocation was discovered in the function read_long_names in elf_begin.c in libelf in…
CVE-2018-18520 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): An Invalid Memory Address Dereference exists in the function elf_end in libelf in elfutils through v0.174. Although…

All CVEs affecting Elfutils Project Elfutils →

Other CWE-369 (Divide By Zero) vulnerabilities

CVE-2021-32494 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Radare2 has a division by zero vulnerability in Mach-O parser's rebase_buffer function. This allow attackers to create…
CVE-2017-11720 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): There is a division-by-zero vulnerability in LAME 3.99.5, caused by a malformed input file.
CVE-2020-20892 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in function filter_frame in libavfilter/vf_lenscorrection.c in Ffmpeg 4.2.1, allows attackers…
CVE-2025-4637 — High (CVSS 8.7): Divide By Zero vulnerability in davisking dlib allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a crafted…
CVE-2026-37232 — High (CVSS 8.6): An issue was discovered in OpenAirInterface5G 2.4.0 (nr-softmodem) in the E2SM-KPM RAN Function's PRB utilization…
CVE-2024-26945 — High (CVSS 8.4): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: iaa - Fix nr_cpus < nr_iaa case If…

Browse all CWE-369 (Divide By Zero) vulnerabilities →