How severe is CVE-2018-19857?

CVE-2018-19857 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, 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 none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-19857 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (89th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-19857?

CVE-2018-19857 primarily affects Videolan Vlc Media Player. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-19857?

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-2018-19857 published?

CVE-2018-19857 was published on 2018-12-05 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-19857

CVE-2018-19857 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Videolan Vlc Media Player with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1. 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-824.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.1)
CVSS v2: 6.4
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (89th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-824
Affected product: Videolan Vlc Media Player
Published: 2018-12-05
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The CAF demuxer in modules/demux/caf.c in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.4 may read memory from an uninitialized pointer when processing magic cookies in CAF files, because a ReadKukiChunk() cast converts a return value to an unsigned int even if that value is negative. This could result in a denial of service and/or a potential infoleak.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-19857?: The CAF demuxer in modules/demux/caf.c in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.4 may read memory from an uninitialized pointer when processing magic cookies in CAF files, because a ReadKukiChunk() cast converts a return value to an unsigned int even if that value is negative. This could result in a denial of service and/or a potential infoleak.
How severe is CVE-2018-19857?: CVE-2018-19857 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, 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 none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-19857 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (89th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-19857?: CVE-2018-19857 primarily affects Videolan Vlc Media Player. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-19857?: 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-2018-19857 published?: CVE-2018-19857 was published on 2018-12-05 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:videolan:vlc_media_player:3.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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