CVE-2018-16888
MEDIUMDescription
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.
How to fix
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:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 22% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-250 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2024-1222 | High | 8.6 | 64% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2025-12420 | Critical | 9.8 | 45% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-38813 | High | 7.5 | 17% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2025-34515 | Critical | 9.8 | 7.3% | - | - |
| CVE-2026-29205 | High | 8.6 | 7.2% | - | - |
| CVE-2019-16765 | High | 7.4 | 4.7% | - | Fix |
Embed a live status badge for CVE-2018-16888
Markdown
[](https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2018-16888)HTML
<a href="https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2018-16888"><img src="https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2018-16888.svg" alt="CVE-2018-16888"></a>Find and fix vulnerabilities across your fleet
TridentStack Control continuously scans your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet for known vulnerabilities, prioritizes them by severity and active exploitation, and patches them automatically.
Start freeThis 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.