BlackTreeCVE Intelligence
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Full vulnerability report · 2018
CVE-2018-6954High confidence

n/a: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

n/a · n/a

7.8HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
Optional official sources

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

Select the national-authority views to include. The exact source language is shown on each matched advisory. Your choice is remembered on this device and encoded in the shareable URL.

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-2018-18698

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 with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

systemd-tmpfiles in systemd through 237 mishandles symlinks present in non-terminal path components, which allows local users to obtain ownership of arbitrary files via vectors involving creation of a directory and a file under that directory, and later replacing that directory with a symlink. This occurs even if the fs.protected_symlinks sysctl is turned on.

What

systemd-tmpfiles in systemd through 237 mishandles symlinks present in non-terminal path components, which allows local users to obtain ownership of arbitrary files via vectors involving creation of a directory and a file under that directory, and later replacing that directory with a symlink. This occurs even if the fs.protected_symlinks sysctl is turned on.

Why

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

systemd-tmpfiles in systemd through 237 mishandles symlinks present in non-terminal path components, which allows local users to obtain ownership of arbitrary files via vectors involving creation of a directory and a file under that directory, and later replacing that directory with a symlink. This occurs even if the fs.protected_symlinks sysctl is turned on.

Why

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

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.
Reference recorded

A structured CVE source labels at least one public reference as exploit material. BlackTree has not independently validated that it is safe, reliable or weaponised.

Likely attack path
local access → Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
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-59

CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following'). The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: 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.
CWE-59Public exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

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

CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2026-AVI-0281Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits Splunk

Record?id=CVE-2016-7795 Référence CVE CVE-2017-18078 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-18078 Référence CVE CVE-2017-9217 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-9217 Référence CVE CVE-2018-1049 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-1049 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15686 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15686 Référence CVE CVE-2018-15688 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15688 Référence CVE CVE-2018-16864 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-16864 Référence CVE CVE-2018-16865 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-16865 Référence CVE CVE-2018-16888 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-16888 Référence CVE CVE-2018-6954 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-6954 Référence CVE CVE-2019-17571 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-17571 Référence CVE CVE-2019-20386 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-20386 Référence CVE CVE-2019-3842 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-3842 Référence CVE CVE-2019-3843 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-3843 Référence CVE CVE-2019-3844 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-3844 Référence CVE CVE-2020-13776 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-13776 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1712 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1712 Référence CVE CVE-2020-17521 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2022-AVI-650Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits Juniper

d?id=CVE-2018-14404 Référence CVE CVE-2018-14567 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-14567 Référence CVE CVE-2018-14718 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-14718 Référence CVE CVE-2018-14719 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-14719 Référence CVE CVE-2018-14720 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-14720 Référence CVE CVE-2018-14721 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-14721 Référence CVE CVE-2018-19360 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-19360 Référence CVE CVE-2018-19361 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-19361 Référence CVE CVE-2018-19362 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-19362 Référence CVE CVE-2018-6954 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-6954 Référence CVE CVE-2018-7489 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-7489 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8088 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8088 Référence CVE CVE-2018-9251 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-9251 Référence CVE CVE-2019-0205 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-0205 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1349 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1349 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1350 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1350 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1352 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1352 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1354 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1354 Ré

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2018-002344systemd における認可・権限・アクセス制御に関する脆弱性

systemd には、認可・権限・アクセス制御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: 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 13 Feb 2018 · Last source change 9 Jun 2025, 15:54 UTC · CWE-59 · Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

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-2018-18698
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCISA ADP
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed from vendor advisory to authoritative remediation link · patch.
    Before
    vendor advisory
    After
    authoritative remediation link · patch
    af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  2. 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
  3. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Patch available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Patch available
    af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  4. Public exploit evidencePublic exploit evidence changed from No public exploit to Public exploit reference.
    Before
    No public exploit
    After
    Public exploit reference
    af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  5. CVSS scoreCVSS scoring authority changed from CISA ADP to NIST NVD; the displayed base score remained 7.8.
    Before
    7.8 (CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    After
    7.8 (CVSS 3.1 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    NIST NVD
  6. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2018-18698 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2018-18698"}
    ENISA EUVD
  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-2018-6954 · cve.blacktree.nl