CVE-2018-7166
HIGHEPSS 87th pctlDescription
In all versions of Node.js 10 prior to 10.9.0, an argument processing flaw can cause `Buffer.alloc()` to return uninitialized memory. This method is intended to be safe and only return initialized, or cleared, memory. The third argument specifying `encoding` can be passed as a number, this is misinterpreted by `Buffer's` internal "fill" method as the `start` to a fill operation. This flaw may be abused where `Buffer.alloc()` arguments are derived from user input to return uncleared memory blocks that may contain sensitive information.
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:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Elevated risk: more likely to be exploited than 87% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-226 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-27218 | Medium | 4.8 | 8.1% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2022-39393 | High | 8.6 | 0.7% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-32036 | Medium | 5.3 | 0.6% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2026-5795 | High | 7.4 | 0.5% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-25560 | High | 7.5 | 0.5% | - | - |
| CVE-2024-7883 | Low | 3.7 | 0.5% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2018-7166?
Published advisories record a fix for 2 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-2018-7166 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2018-7166 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 3.2% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 87% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2018-7166?
CVE-2018-7166 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5, rated high. 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-2018-7166 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for Node.js (Windows application), Node.js (LTS) (Windows application). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
Embed a live status badge for CVE-2018-7166
Markdown
[](https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2018-7166)HTML
<a href="https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2018-7166"><img src="https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2018-7166.svg" alt="CVE-2018-7166"></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.
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.