# CVE-2018-1000120: curl FTP path confusion leads to NIL byte out of bounds write

> A buffer overflow in curl's FTP URL handling allows attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 14 Mar 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2018-1000120, CLEANSTART-2026-AU52418, CURL-CVE-2018-1000120, DEBIAN-CVE-2018-1000120, GHSA-674j-7m97-j2p9, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-1000120

## What is CVE-2018-1000120?

CVE-2018-1000120 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 14 Mar 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A buffer overflow exists in curl 7.12.3 to and including curl 7.58.0 in the FTP URL handling that allows an attacker to cause a denial of service or worse.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-1000120?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including curl. It affects 9 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `curl` | NuGet | From 7.12.3 | None |
| `curl` | NuGet | From 7.12.3 | None |

Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Debian Debian Linux, Haxx Curl, Oracle Communications Webrtc Session Controller, Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center, Oracle Peoplesoft Enterprise Peopletools, Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop, Redhat Enterprise Linux Server, Redhat Enterprise Linux Workstation.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-1000120?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2018-1000120 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-1000120 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux

- [CVE-2020-11651](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11651/): SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-7247](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7247/): OpenSMTPD Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-16928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16928/): Exim Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-6789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6789/): Exim Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-2590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2590/): Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-1000120 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-1000120 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 14 Mar 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-1000120 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- curl (NuGet): affected from 7.12.3; no fix listed
- curl (NuGet): affected from 7.12.3; no fix listed

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-1000120/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-1000120/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-1000120
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1000120
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-1000120

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-1000120/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.