CVE-2018-16872
MEDIUMDescription
A flaw was found in qemu Media Transfer Protocol (MTP). The code opening files in usb_mtp_get_object and usb_mtp_get_partial_object and directories in usb_mtp_object_readdir doesn't consider that the underlying filesystem may have changed since the time lstat(2) was called in usb_mtp_object_alloc, a classical TOCTTOU problem. An attacker with write access to the host filesystem shared with a guest can use this property to navigate the host filesystem in the context of the QEMU process and read any file the QEMU process has access to. Access to the filesystem may be local or via a network share protocol such as CIFS.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Moderate risk: more likely to be exploited than 62% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-367 (TOCTOU Race Condition) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2022-36980 | High | 8.1 | 83% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-30088 | High | 7.0 | 68% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2004-0594 | Medium | 5.1 | 55% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-50379 | Critical | 9.8 | 44% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-38146 | High | 8.8 | 39% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-0132 | Critical | 9.0 | 38% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2018-16872?
Published advisories record a fix for 11 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2018-16872 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2018-16872 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 1.1% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 62% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2018-16872?
CVE-2018-16872 has a CVSS v3 base score of 5.3, rated medium. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2018-16872 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for qemu (Debian), qemu (Ubuntu), qemu-system (Ubuntu), qemu-system-aarch64 (Ubuntu), and 7 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2024-11-21.