How severe is CVE-2018-6797?

CVE-2018-6797 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, 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 high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-6797 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 7% (93rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-6797?

CVE-2018-6797 primarily affects Perl. In total, 12 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-6797?

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-2018-6797 published?

CVE-2018-6797 was published on 2018-04-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-6797

CVE-2018-6797 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Perl with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-787.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 7% (93rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Perl
Published: 2018-04-17
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in Perl 5.18 through 5.26. A crafted regular expression can cause a heap-based buffer overflow, with control over the bytes written.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-6797?: An issue was discovered in Perl 5.18 through 5.26. A crafted regular expression can cause a heap-based buffer overflow, with control over the bytes written.
How severe is CVE-2018-6797?: CVE-2018-6797 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, 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 high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-6797 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 7% (93rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-6797?: CVE-2018-6797 primarily affects Perl. In total, 12 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-6797?: 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-2018-6797 published?: CVE-2018-6797 was published on 2018-04-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (12)

cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:perl:perl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:17.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

182.93.50.90 (ipv4-addr)