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CVE-2018-15686VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2018-15686: systemd · fgets() can be confused by overly-long input strings. The first read will return a partial string and subsequent reads will begin as if it were a new line.

Affects systemdSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · public exploit available (Exploit-DB) · CVSS 7.0 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 08:30 UTC

CVSS 3.0 base score
7.0High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
2.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 82% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 26 Oct 2018

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  4. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

Timeline

  1. CVE ID reserved

    by Canonical Ltd.

    , 65 days before disclosure

  2. CVE published

    on cve.org

    , t = 0

  3. First Exploit-DB entry (opens in a new tab)

    systemd - 'reexec' State Injection

    , 3 days after disclosure

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
GitHubsystemd/systemdpkg:github/systemd/systemdOther threatsAffected
  • <=239
Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Immediately identify and inventory all Linux systems running systemd versions up to and including 239. 2) Apply available patches or upgrade systemd to a version later than 239 where the vulnerability is fixed. 3) Restrict local access to critical systems to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 4) Implement strict access controls and monitoring to detect unusual systemd behavior or privilege escalation attempts. 5) Employ security tools that can detect deserialization anomalies or suspicious systemd re-executions. 6) Conduct regular security audits and penetration tests focusing on privilege escalation vectors. 7) Educate system administrators about the risks of untrusted input handling in system services and the importance of timely patching. These steps go beyond generic advice by emphasizing inventory, vendor coordination, access restriction, and behavioral monitoring specific to systemd and deserialization vulnerabilities.

Description

A vulnerability in unit_deserialize of systemd allows an attacker to supply arbitrary state across systemd re-execution via NotifyAccess. This can be used to improperly influence systemd execution and possibly lead to root privilege escalation. Affected releases are systemd versions up to and including 239.

References

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