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CVE-2018-16949

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used...

7.5 HighFix available

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used as RPC input variables were implemented as unbounded array types, limited only by the inherent 32-bit length field to 4 GB. An unauthenticated attacker could send, or claim to send, large input values and consume server resources waiting for those inputs, denying service to other valid connections.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

3.08%Up 2.0 points since Apr 14, 2021
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 7.5

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used as RPC input variables were implemented as unbounded array types, limited only by the inherent 32-bit length field to 4 GB. An unauthenticated attacker could send, or claim to send, large input values and consume server resources waiting for those inputs, denying service to other valid connections.

Record
CVE-2018-16949
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS 2.0
5.0 MediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
Weakness
CWE-400
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used as RPC input variables were implemented as unbounded array types, limited only by the inherent 32-bit length field to 4 GB. An unauthenticated attacker could send, or claim to send, large input values and consume server resources waiting for those inputs, denying service to other valid connections.

Record
CVE-2018-16949
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2018-8737 No score

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used as RPC input variables were implemented as unbounded array types, limited only by the inherent 32-bit length field to 4 GB. An unauthenticated attacker could send, or claim to send, large input values and consume server resources waiting for those inputs, denying service to other valid connections.

Record
EUVD-2018-8737
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-2x26-cf8j-qvpf 7.5

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used...

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used as RPC input variables were implemented as unbounded array types, limited only by the inherent 32-bit length field to 4 GB. An unauthenticated attacker could send, or claim to send, large input values and consume server resources waiting for those inputs, denying service to other valid connections.

Record
GHSA-2x26-cf8j-qvpf
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-400
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 7.5

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used as RPC input variables were implemented as unbounded array types, limited only by the inherent 32-bit length field to 4 GB. An unauthenticated attacker could send, or claim to send, large input values and consume server resources waiting for those inputs, denying service to other valid connections.

Record
CVE-2018-16949
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2018-16949 7.5

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used as RPC input variables were implemented as unbounded array types, limited only by the inherent 32-bit length field to 4 GB. An unauthenticated attacker could send, or claim to send, large input values and consume server resources waiting for those inputs, denying service to other valid connections.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2018-16949
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2018-16949 7.5

An issue was discovered in OpenAFS before 1.6.23 and 1.8.x before 1.8.2. Several data types used as RPC input variables were implemented as unbounded array types, limited only by the inherent 32-bit length field to 4 GB. An unauthenticated attacker could send, or claim to send, large input values and consume server resources waiting for those inputs, denying service to other valid connections.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2018-16949
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2019-0021 No score

Updated openafs packages fix security vulnerabilities

Jeffrey Altman reported that the backup tape controller (butc) process does accept incoming RPCs but does not require (or allow for) authentication of those RPCs, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to perform volume operations with administrator credentials (CVE-2018-16947).

Mark Vitale reported that several RPC server routines do not fully initialize output variables, leaking memory contents (from both the stack and the heap) to the remote caller for otherwise-successful RPCs (CVE-2018-16948).

Mark Vitale reported that an unauthenticated attacker can consume large amounts of server memory and network bandwidth via specially crafted requests, resulting in denial of service to legitimate clients (CVE-2018-16949).

Record
MGASA-2019-0021
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:11113-1 No score

openafs-1.8.8-1.13 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the openafs-1.8.8-1.13 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:11113-1
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
openafs
Debian:12
before 1.8.2-1
1.8.2-1
openafs
Debian:13
before 1.8.2-1
1.8.2-1
openafs
Debian:8
From an advisory covering 3 CVEs
before 1.6.9-2+deb8u8, plus listed versions
1.6.9-2+deb8u21.6.9-2+deb8u31.6.9-2+deb8u41.6.9-2+deb8u4~bpo70+11.6.9-2+deb8u51.6.9-2+deb8u61.6.9-2+deb8u7
1.6.9-2+deb8u8
openafs
Debian:9
From an advisory covering 3 CVEs
before 1.6.20-2+deb9u2, plus listed versions
1.6.20-21.6.20-2+deb9u1
1.6.20-2+deb9u2
openafs
Mageia:6
From an advisory covering 3 CVEs
before 1.6.23-1.mga6
1.6.23-1.mga6
openafs
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.6.14-11.6.15-11.6.15-1ubuntu11.6.15-1ubuntu1.1
None known
openafs
Ubuntu:18.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.6.21-31.6.21-3ubuntu11.6.22-31.8.0~pre4-11.8.0~pre5-11.8.0~pre5-1ubuntu11.8.0~pre5-1ubuntu1.11.8.0~pre5-1ubuntu1.2
None known
openafs
openSUSE:Tumbleweed
From an advisory covering 3 CVEs
before 1.8.8-1.13
1.8.8-1.13

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected, facts
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2018-16949 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Openafs, published September 12, 2018. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 3.08%, the 87th percentile. Fixed in openafs 1.8.2-1.

References

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