CVE-2018-16888
It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it...
It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it to kill processes. When a service is run from an unprivileged user (e.g. User field set in the service file), a local attacker who is able to write to the PIDFile of the mentioned service may use this flaw to trick systemd into killing other services and/or privileged processes. Versions before v237 are vulnerable.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
4.4
It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it to kill processes. When a service is run from an unprivileged user (e.g. User field set in the service file), a local attacker who is able to write to the PIDFile of the mentioned service may use this flaw to trick systemd into killing other services and/or privileged processes. Versions before v237 are vulnerable.
- Record
CVE-2018-16888- CVSS 3.0
- 4.4 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-250
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2018-8676
4.4
It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it to kill processes. When a service is run from an unprivileged user (e.g. User field set in the service file), a local attacker who is able to write to the PIDFile of the mentioned service may use this flaw to trick systemd into killing other services and/or privileged processes. Versions before v237 are vulnerable.
- Record
EUVD-2018-8676- CVSS 3.0
- 4.4 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-34mm-3fgq-qjxq
4.7
It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it...
It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it to kill processes. When a service is run from an unprivileged user (e.g. User field set in the service file), a local attacker who is able to write to the PIDFile of the mentioned service may use this flaw to trick systemd into killing other services and/or privileged processes. Versions before v237 are vulnerable.
- Record
GHSA-34mm-3fgq-qjxq- CVSS 3.1
- 4.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
4.7
It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it to kill processes. When a service is run from an unprivileged user (e.g. User field set in the service file), a local attacker who is able to write to the PIDFile of the mentioned service may use this flaw to trick systemd into killing other services and/or privileged processes. Versions before v237 are vulnerable.
- Record
CVE-2018-16888- CVSS 3.1
- 4.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 3.0
- 4.4 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 1.9 Low
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-250, CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
4.7
It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it to kill processes. When a service is run from an unprivileged user (e.g. User field set in the service file), a local attacker who is able to write to the PIDFile of the mentioned service may use this flaw to trick systemd into killing other services and/or privileged processes. Versions before v237 are vulnerable.
- Record
CVE-2018-16888- CVSS 3.1
- 4.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2018-16888
4.7
It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it to kill processes. When a service is run from an unprivileged user (e.g. User field set in the service file), a local attacker who is able to write to the PIDFile of the mentioned service may use this flaw to trick systemd into killing other services and/or privileged processes. Versions before v237 are vulnerable.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2018-16888- CVSS 3.1
- 4.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2019:2091
4.4
Red Hat Security Advisory: systemd security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Record
RHSA-2019:2091- CVSS 3.0
- 4.4 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2018-16888
4.7
It was discovered systemd does not correctly check the content of PIDFile files before using it to kill processes. When a service is run from an unprivileged user (e.g. User field set in the service file), a local attacker who is able to write to the PIDFile of the mentioned service may use this flaw to trick systemd into killing other services and/or privileged processes. Versions before v237 are vulnerable.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2018-16888- CVSS 3.1
- 4.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 3.0
- 4.4 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 3.0
- 4.7 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-4269-1 No score
systemd vulnerabilities
It was discovered that systemd incorrectly handled certain PIDFile files. A local attacker could possibly use this issue to trick systemd into killing privileged processes. This issue only affected Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. (CVE-2018-16888)
It was discovered that systemd incorrectly handled certain udevadm trigger commands. A local attacker could possibly use this issue to cause systemd to consume resources, leading to a denial of service. (CVE-2019-20386)
Jann Horn discovered that systemd incorrectly handled services that use the DynamicUser property. A local attacker could possibly use this issue to access resources owned by a different service in the future. This issue only affected Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. (CVE-2019-3843, CVE-2019-3844)
Tavis Ormandy discovered that systemd incorrectly handled certain Polkit queries. A local attacker could use this issue to cause systemd to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges. (CVE-2020-1712)
- Record
USN-4269-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
systemdDebian:12 |
before 237-1 | 237-1 |
systemdDebian:13 |
before 237-1 | 237-1 |
systemdDebian:14 |
before 237-1 | 237-1 |
libgudev1Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemdRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-libsRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-pythonRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-sysvRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
libgudev1-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
Show 40 moreShow less
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
systemd-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-journal-gatewayRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-networkdRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-resolvedRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
libgudev1Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemdRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-libsRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-pythonRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-sysvRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
libgudev1-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-journal-gatewayRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-networkdRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-resolvedRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
libgudev1Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
libgudev1-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemdRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-libsRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-pythonRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-sysvRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-journal-gatewayRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-networkdRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-resolvedRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
libgudev1Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
libgudev1-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemdRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-libsRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-pythonRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-sysvRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-journal-gatewayRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-networkdRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemd-resolvedRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
systemdUbuntu:16.04:LTS |
before 229-4ubuntu21.27, plus listed versions 225-1ubuntu9227-2ubuntu1227-2ubuntu2228-1ubuntu2228-2ubuntu1 Show 44 moreShow less228-2ubuntu2228-3ubuntu1228-4ubuntu1228-4ubuntu2228-5ubuntu1228-5ubuntu2228-5ubuntu3228-6ubuntu1229-1ubuntu2229-1ubuntu4229-2ubuntu1229-3ubuntu1229-3ubuntu2229-4ubuntu1229-4ubuntu4229-4ubuntu5229-4ubuntu6229-4ubuntu7229-4ubuntu8229-4ubuntu10229-4ubuntu11229-4ubuntu12229-4ubuntu13229-4ubuntu16229-4ubuntu17229-4ubuntu19229-4ubuntu20229-4ubuntu21229-4ubuntu21.1229-4ubuntu21.2229-4ubuntu21.3229-4ubuntu21.4229-4ubuntu21.5229-4ubuntu21.6229-4ubuntu21.8229-4ubuntu21.9229-4ubuntu21.10229-4ubuntu21.15229-4ubuntu21.16229-4ubuntu21.17229-4ubuntu21.19229-4ubuntu21.21229-4ubuntu21.22229-4ubuntu21.23 |
229-4ubuntu21.27 |
systemdUbuntu:16.04:LTS From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 229-4ubuntu21.27, plus listed versions 225-1ubuntu9227-2ubuntu1227-2ubuntu2228-1ubuntu2228-2ubuntu1 Show 44 moreShow less228-2ubuntu2228-3ubuntu1228-4ubuntu1228-4ubuntu2228-5ubuntu1228-5ubuntu2228-5ubuntu3228-6ubuntu1229-1ubuntu2229-1ubuntu4229-2ubuntu1229-3ubuntu1229-3ubuntu2229-4ubuntu1229-4ubuntu4229-4ubuntu5229-4ubuntu6229-4ubuntu7229-4ubuntu8229-4ubuntu10229-4ubuntu11229-4ubuntu12229-4ubuntu13229-4ubuntu16229-4ubuntu17229-4ubuntu19229-4ubuntu20229-4ubuntu21229-4ubuntu21.1229-4ubuntu21.2229-4ubuntu21.3229-4ubuntu21.4229-4ubuntu21.5229-4ubuntu21.6229-4ubuntu21.8229-4ubuntu21.9229-4ubuntu21.10229-4ubuntu21.15229-4ubuntu21.16229-4ubuntu21.17229-4ubuntu21.19229-4ubuntu21.21229-4ubuntu21.22229-4ubuntu21.23 |
229-4ubuntu21.27 |
systemdUbuntu:18.04:LTS From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 237-3ubuntu10.38, plus listed versions 234-2ubuntu12235-2ubuntu3235-3ubuntu2235-3ubuntu3237-3ubuntu3 Show 27 moreShow less237-3ubuntu4237-3ubuntu6237-3ubuntu7237-3ubuntu8237-3ubuntu10237-3ubuntu10.2237-3ubuntu10.3237-3ubuntu10.4237-3ubuntu10.6237-3ubuntu10.9237-3ubuntu10.11237-3ubuntu10.12237-3ubuntu10.13237-3ubuntu10.15237-3ubuntu10.17237-3ubuntu10.19237-3ubuntu10.20237-3ubuntu10.21237-3ubuntu10.22237-3ubuntu10.23237-3ubuntu10.24237-3ubuntu10.25237-3ubuntu10.26237-3ubuntu10.28237-3ubuntu10.29237-3ubuntu10.31237-3ubuntu10.33 |
237-3ubuntu10.38 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | ||
| aliases, products | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2018-16888 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.4) in Systemd, published January 14, 2019. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.29%, the 22nd percentile. Fixed in systemd 237-1.
References
security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0007
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16888
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2091
lists.apache.org/thread.html/5960a34a524848cd722fd7ab7e2227eac10107b0f90d9d1e9c3caa74%40%3Cuser.cassandra.apache.org%3E
usn.ubuntu.com/4269-1
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16888
Show 40 moreShow less
lists.apache.org/thread.html/5960a34a524848cd722fd7ab7e2227eac10107b0f90d9d1e9c3caa74@%3Cuser.cassandra.apache.org%3E
github.com/advisories/GHSA-34mm-3fgq-qjxq
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2018-16888
access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification
access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/7/html/7.7_release_notes/index
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1267552
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1272485
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1463678
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1585913
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1619543
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1631625
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1639071
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1641764
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1643172
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1651257
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1653867
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1660422
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1662867
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1663365
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1666612
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1691511
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1693559
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1693716
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1697909
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2019/rhsa-2019_2091.json
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-15686
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15686
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-15686
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-16866
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-16866
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16866
qualys.com/2019/01/09/system-down/system-down.txt
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-16888
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-16888
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-16888
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-4269-1
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-3843
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-3844
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-20386
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2020-1712