Security readout for executives and security teams
CVE-2018-16866 is a systemd-journald memory disclosure flaw. A local attacker may cause journald to read beyond expected memory when parsing log messages ending with a colon, potentially exposing process memory data. The known vulnerable upstream range is systemd v221 through v239. Exposure is most likely on Linux systems using systemd-journald from upstream systemd v221 to v239, or distribution packages derived from that range before vendor fixes. Distribution backports may change version appearances, so package advisory status matters more than raw version strings. Patch through normal vulnerability management, with higher priority for multi-user Linux systems and shared environments. The business risk is data exposure from local access, not remote takeover based on the supplied evidence. Mitigation focus: Apply the relevant vendor security update for systemd or systemd-journald.; Prioritize systems with systemd v221 through v239 exposure.; Check distribution advisories for backported fixed package versions..
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-125: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCWE-200: Information exposure and cloud metadata lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-16866 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.3 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N2.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- DSA-4367CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_DEBIAN
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190117-0001/CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://www.qualys.com/2019/01/09/system-down/system-down.txtCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16866CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- USN-3855-1CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_UBUNTU
- GLSA-201903-07CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_GENTOO
- 20190513 Re: System Down: A systemd-journald exploitCVE reference · mailing-list, x_refsource_BUGTRAQ
- RHSA-2019:2091CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHSA-2019:3222CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHSA-2020:0593CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Out-of-bounds Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.