How severe is CVE-2018-6556?

CVE-2018-6556 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.3, rated low severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2018-6556 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (27th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-6556?

CVE-2018-6556 primarily affects Linuxcontainers Lxc. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-6556?

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

When was CVE-2018-6556 published?

CVE-2018-6556 was published on 2018-08-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-6556

CVE-2018-6556 is a low-severity vulnerability in Linuxcontainers Lxc with a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.3. 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-417.

Key facts

Severity: Low (CVSS 3.x base score 3.3)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (27th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-417
Affected product: Linuxcontainers Lxc
Published: 2018-08-10
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

lxc-user-nic when asked to delete a network interface will unconditionally open a user provided path. This code path may be used by an unprivileged user to check for the existence of a path which they wouldn't otherwise be able to reach. It may also be used to trigger side effects by causing a (read-only) open of special kernel files (ptmx, proc, sys). Affected releases are LXC: 2.0 versions above and including 2.0.9; 3.0 versions above and including 3.0.0, prior to 3.0.2.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-6556?: lxc-user-nic when asked to delete a network interface will unconditionally open a user provided path. This code path may be used by an unprivileged user to check for the existence of a path which they wouldn't otherwise be able to reach. It may also be used to trigger side effects by causing a (read-only) open of special kernel files (ptmx, proc, sys). Affected releases are LXC: 2.0 versions above and including 2.0.9; 3.0 versions above and including 3.0.0, prior to 3.0.2.
How severe is CVE-2018-6556?: CVE-2018-6556 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.3, rated low severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2018-6556 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (27th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-6556?: CVE-2018-6556 primarily affects Linuxcontainers Lxc. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-6556?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-6556 published?: CVE-2018-6556 was published on 2018-08-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (8)

cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:linuxcontainers:lxc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:suse:caas_platform:1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:suse:caas_platform:2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:suse:openstack_cloud:6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:suse:suse_linux_enterprise_server:11:sp3:*:*:ltss:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:suse:suse_linux_enterprise_server:11:sp4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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