CVE-2018-19211
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c...
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c that will lead to a denial of service attack. The product proceeds to the dereference code path even after a "dubious character `*' in name or alias field" detection.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
5.5
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c that will lead to a denial of service attack. The product proceeds to the dereference code path even after a "dubious character `*' in name or alias field" detection.
- Record
CVE-2018-19211- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 4.3 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-476
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c that will lead to a denial of service attack. The product proceeds to the dereference code path even after a "dubious character `*' in name or alias field" detection.
- Record
CVE-2018-19211- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2018-10920 No score
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c that will lead to a denial of service attack. The product proceeds to the dereference code path even after a "dubious character `*' in name or alias field" detection.
- Record
EUVD-2018-10920- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-g37h-6hrw-v99v
5.5
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c...
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c that will lead to a denial of service attack. The product proceeds to the dereference code path even after a "dubious character `*' in name or alias field" detection.
- Record
GHSA-g37h-6hrw-v99v- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-476
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
5.5
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c that will lead to a denial of service attack. The product proceeds to the dereference code path even after a "dubious character `*' in name or alias field" detection.
- Record
CVE-2018-19211- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2018-19211
5.5
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c that will lead to a denial of service attack. The product proceeds to the dereference code path even after a "dubious character `*' in name or alias field" detection.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2018-19211- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Show 5 moreShow less
OSVJLSEC-2026-442
5.5
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c that will lead to a denial of service attack. The product proceeds to the dereference code path even after a "dubious character * in name or alias field" detection.
- Record
JLSEC-2026-442- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 4.3 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2018-19211
5.5
In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c that will lead to a denial of service attack. The product proceeds to the dereference code path even after a "dubious character `*' in name or alias field" detection.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2018-19211- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2018:3967-1 No score
Security update for ncurses
This update for ncurses fixes the following issue:
Security issue fixed:
- CVE-2018-19211: Fixed denial of service issue that was triggered by a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry (bsc#1115929).
- Record
SUSE-SU-2018:3967-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2018:4000-1 No score
Security update for ncurses
This update for ncurses fixes the following issues:
Security issue fixed:
- CVE-2018-19211: Fixed denial of service issue that was triggered by a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry (bsc#1115929).
Non-security issue fixed:
- Remove scree.xterm from terminfo data base as with this screen uses fallback TERM=screen (bsc#1103320).
- Record
SUSE-SU-2018:4000-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-5477-1 No score
ncurses vulnerabilities
Hosein Askari discovered that ncurses was incorrectly performing memory management operations when dealing with long filenames while writing structures into the file system. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a denial of service or execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2017-16879)
Chung-Yi Lin discovered that ncurses was incorrectly handling access to invalid memory areas when parsing terminfo or termcap entries where the use-name had invalid syntax. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a denial of service. (CVE-2018-19211)
It was discovered that ncurses was incorrectly performing bounds checks when processing invalid hashcodes. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a denial of service or to expose sensitive information. (CVE-2019-17594)
It was discovered that ncurses was incorrectly handling end-of-string characters when processing terminfo and termcap files. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a denial of service or to expose sensitive information. (CVE-2019-17595)
It was discovered that ncurses was incorrectly handling end-of-string characters when converting between termcap and terminfo formats. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a denial of service or execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-39537)
It was discovered that ncurses was incorrectly performing bounds checks when dealing with corrupt terminfo data while reading a terminfo file. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a denial of service or to expose sensitive information. (CVE-2022-29458)
- Record
USN-5477-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
ncursesDebian:12 |
before 6.1+20180210-3 | 6.1+20180210-3 |
ncursesDebian:13 |
before 6.1+20180210-3 | 6.1+20180210-3 |
ncursesDebian:14 |
before 6.1+20180210-3 | 6.1+20180210-3 |
Ncurses_jllJulia |
before 6.2.0+0 | 6.2.0+0 |
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP3 |
before 5.9-61.1 | 5.9-61.1 |
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP4 |
before 5.9-61.1 | 5.9-61.1 |
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP3 |
before 5.9-61.1 | 5.9-61.1 |
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP4 |
before 5.9-61.1 | 5.9-61.1 |
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3 |
before 5.9-61.1 | 5.9-61.1 |
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3 |
before 5.9-61.1 | 5.9-61.1 |
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| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP4 |
before 5.9-61.1 | 5.9-61.1 |
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP4 |
before 5.9-61.1 | 5.9-61.1 |
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 |
before 6.1-5.3.1 | 6.1-5.3.1 |
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 |
before 6.1-5.3.1 | 6.1-5.3.1 |
ncursesSUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 |
before 6.1-5.3.1 | 6.1-5.3.1 |
ncursesUbuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS |
before 5.9+20140118-1ubuntu1+esm2, plus listed versions 5.9+20130608-1ubuntu15.9+20131221-1ubuntu15.9+20140118-1ubuntu15.9+20140118-1ubuntu1+esm1 |
5.9+20140118-1ubuntu1+esm2 |
ncursesUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS |
before 6.0+20160213-1ubuntu1+esm2, plus listed versions 5.9+20150516-2ubuntu16.0+20151024-2ubuntu16.0+20151024-2ubuntu26.0+20160213-1ubuntu16.0+20160213-1ubuntu1+esm1 |
6.0+20160213-1ubuntu1+esm2 |
ncursesUbuntu:18.04:LTS |
before 6.1-1ubuntu1.18.04, plus listed versions 6.0+20160625-1ubuntu16.0+20171125-1ubuntu16.1-1ubuntu1 |
6.1-1ubuntu1.18.04 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2018-19211 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) in Invisible-island Ncurses, published November 12, 2018. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.86%, the 58th percentile. Fixed in ncurses 6.1+20180210-3.
References
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1643754
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-19211
github.com/advisories/GHSA-g37h-6hrw-v99v
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2018-19211
suse.com/support/update/announcement/2018/suse-su-20183967-1
bugzilla.suse.com/1115929
Show 11 moreShow less
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-19211
suse.com/support/update/announcement/2018/suse-su-20184000-1
bugzilla.suse.com/1103320
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-19211
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-5477-1
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-19211
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2017-16879
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-17594
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-17595
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-39537
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2022-29458