BlackTreeCVE Intelligence
← Back to the CVE catalogue
Full vulnerability report · 2018
CVE-2018-15857High confidence

Affected product: Use After Free

Unknown · Unknown

7.8HighCVSS 3.0
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:Medium, lowered one band.downgradedsince 5 Aug 2024

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • Exploitation requires an existing local or physical foothold with privileges.
  • EPSS is 0.45% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Unknown Unknown and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: As exposure requiresRemediation target: Within 365 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Distribution package intelligence

Release-specific package status

Debian findings are scoped to the named distribution, release and source package. An absent finding does not mean a package is unaffected.

4 package states
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Distribution releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Debian trixietrixie · sourcelibxkbcommonVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.0.8.2-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcelibxkbcommonVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.0.8.2-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcelibxkbcommonVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.0.8.2-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcelibxkbcommonVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.0.8.2-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2018-7714

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

An invalid free in ExprAppendMultiKeysymList in xkbcomp/ast-build.c in xkbcommon before 0.8.1 could be used by local attackers to crash xkbcommon keymap parsers or possibly have unspecified other impact by supplying a crafted keymap file.

What

An invalid free in ExprAppendMultiKeysymList in xkbcomp/ast-build.c in xkbcommon before 0.8.1 could be used by local attackers to crash xkbcommon keymap parsers or possibly have unspecified other impact by supplying a crafted keymap file.

Why

The program can continue using memory after it has been released, producing unsafe and attacker-influenceable behaviour.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

What

An invalid free in ExprAppendMultiKeysymList in xkbcomp/ast-build.c in xkbcommon before 0.8.1 could be used by local attackers to crash xkbcommon keymap parsers or possibly have unspecified other impact by supplying a crafted keymap file.

Why

The program can continue using memory after it has been released, producing unsafe and attacker-influenceable behaviour.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
local access → Use After Free → disrupt the affected service
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-416 ↗

CWE-416: Use After Free. The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.0: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
The issue can support a local privilege or sandbox boundary transition; normal system utilities may then be available in the gained context.
Denial of serviceCWE-416
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

BSI · German · WID-SEC-2024-0021X.Org X11: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Denial of Service

Ein lokaler Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in X.Org ausnutzen, um einen Denial of Service Angriff durchzuführen.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2022-AVI-267Multiples vulnérabilités dans Juniper Networks Junos Space

d?id=CVE-2018-14600 Référence CVE CVE-2018-14647 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-14647 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15587 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15587 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15688 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15688 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15746 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15746 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15853 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15853 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15854 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15854 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15855 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15855 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15856 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15856 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15857 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15857 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15859 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15859 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15861 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15861 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15862 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15862 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15863 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15863 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15864 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15864 Référence CVE CVE-2018-16062 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-16062 Référence CVE CVE-2018-16395 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-16395 Référence CVE CVE-2018-16396 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2018-009700xkbcommon における解放済みメモリの使用に関する脆弱性

xkbcommon には、解放済みメモリの使用に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
n/a
Fixed
An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
Action
Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 25 Aug 2018 · Last source change 5 Aug 2024, 10:10 UTC · CWE-416 · Use After Free

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-01
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-7714
Product sourceUnavailable
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2018-7714 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2018-7714"}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  2. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added patch: github.com/c1e5ac16e77a21f87bdf3bc4dea61b037a17dddb; added patch: lists.freedesktop.org/039232.html; removed vendor advisory: access.redhat.com/RHSA-2019:2079; removed vendor advisory: security.gentoo.org/201810-05; 1 further additions; 2 further removals.
    Before
    vendor advisory: access.redhat.com/RHSA-2019:2079 · vendor advisory: security.gentoo.org/201810-05 · vendor advisory: usn.ubuntu.com/3786-1 · 1 more references
    After
    patch: github.com/c1e5ac16e77a21f87bdf3bc4dea61b037a17dddb · patch: lists.freedesktop.org/039232.html · remediation: github.com/c1e5ac16e77a21f87bdf3bc4dea61b037a17dddb
    github.com ↗
  3. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    n/a · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
    After
    n/a · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    CNA ↗
  4. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Patch available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Patch available
    github.com ↗
  5. SeveritySeverity changed from Unknown to High.
    Before
    Unknown
    After
    High
    NIST NVD ↗
  6. CVSS scoreCVSS score changed from not recorded to 7.8 (CVSS 3.0 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    7.8 (CVSS 3.0 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    NIST NVD ↗
  7. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2018-15857 · cve.blacktree.nl