How severe is CVE-2018-3968?

CVE-2018-3968 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-3968 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (19th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-3968?

CVE-2018-3968 primarily affects Denx U-boot. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-3968?

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-2018-3968 published?

CVE-2018-3968 was published on 2019-03-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-3968

CVE-2018-3968 is a high-severity vulnerability in Denx U-boot with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0. 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-347.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.0)
CVSS v2: 4.4
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (19th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-347
Affected product: Denx U-boot
Published: 2019-03-21
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An exploitable vulnerability exists in the verified boot protection of the Das U-Boot from version 2013.07-rc1 to 2014.07-rc2. The affected versions lack proper FIT signature enforcement, which allows an attacker to bypass U-Boot's verified boot and execute an unsigned kernel, embedded in a legacy image format. To trigger this vulnerability, a local attacker needs to be able to supply the image to boot.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-3968?: An exploitable vulnerability exists in the verified boot protection of the Das U-Boot from version 2013.07-rc1 to 2014.07-rc2. The affected versions lack proper FIT signature enforcement, which allows an attacker to bypass U-Boot's verified boot and execute an unsigned kernel, embedded in a legacy image format. To trigger this vulnerability, a local attacker needs to be able to supply the image to boot.
How severe is CVE-2018-3968?: CVE-2018-3968 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-3968 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (19th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-3968?: CVE-2018-3968 primarily affects Denx U-boot. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-3968?: 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-2018-3968 published?: CVE-2018-3968 was published on 2019-03-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2018-0633

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:denx:u-boot:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:denx:u-boot:2013.07:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:denx:u-boot:2013.07:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:denx:u-boot:2013.07:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:denx:u-boot:2014.07:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:denx:u-boot:2014.07:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Denx U-boot

CVE-2022-34835 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In Das U-Boot through 2022.07-rc5, an integer signedness error and resultant stack-based buffer overflow in the "i2c…
CVE-2022-30767 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): nfs_lookup_reply in net/nfs.c in Das U-Boot through 2022.04 (and through 2022.07-rc2) has an unbounded memcpy with a…
CVE-2020-8432 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In Das U-Boot through 2020.01, a double free has been found in the cmd/gpt.c do_rename_gpt_parts() function. Double…
CVE-2019-14204 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in Das U-Boot through 2019.07. There is a stack-based buffer overflow in this nfs_handler reply…
CVE-2019-14203 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in Das U-Boot through 2019.07. There is a stack-based buffer overflow in this nfs_handler reply…
CVE-2019-14202 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in Das U-Boot through 2019.07. There is a stack-based buffer overflow in this nfs_handler reply…

All CVEs affecting Denx U-boot →

Other CWE-347 (Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-48558 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SimpleHelp versions 5.5.15 and prior and 6.0 pre-release versions contain an authentication bypass vulnerability in the…
CVE-2023-25574 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): `jupyterhub-ltiauthenticator` is a JupyterHub authenticator for learning tools interoperability (LTI).…
CVE-2024-45409 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Ruby SAML library is for implementing the client side of a SAML authorization. Ruby-SAML in <= 12.2 and 1.13.0 <=…
CVE-2024-32962 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): xml-crypto is an xml digital signature and encryption library for Node.js. In affected versions the default…
CVE-2022-24884 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ecdsautils is a tiny collection of programs used for ECDSA (keygen, sign, verify). `ecdsa_verify_[prepare_]legacy()`…
CVE-2021-33885 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity vulnerability in B. Braun SpaceCom2 prior to 012U000062 allows a…

Browse all CWE-347 (Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature) vulnerabilities →