# CVE-2018-1122: Privilege escalation in procps-ng, procps > Local attackers can escalate privileges by exploiting vulnerabilities in the top command's config file handling when run in a controlled directory with HOME unset. - **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Any signed-in user - **Attackable:** Local or same network only - **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something - **Fix available:** Yes - **Published:** 23 May 2018 - **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024 - **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2018-1122, GHSA-mphr-mvhq-p32f, RHSA-2019:2189, RHSA-2020:0595, RHSA-2020:1265, RHSA-2020:1464, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-1122 ## What is CVE-2018-1122? CVE-2018-1122 is a high-severity vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 23 May 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link. ### Official description procps-ng before version 3.3.15 is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation in top. If a user runs top with HOME unset in an attacker-controlled directory, the attacker could achieve privilege escalation by exploiting one of several vulnerabilities in the config_file() function. Weakness: CWE-829 (Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-1122? It affects 3 products. | Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `procps-ng` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-i18n` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-i18n` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-i18n` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng-i18n` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:3.3.10-26.el7 | | `procps-ng` | Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-16.el7_4.2 | | `procps-ng-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-16.el7_4.2 | | `procps-ng-devel` | Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-16.el7_4.2 | | `procps-ng-i18n` | Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-16.el7_4.2 | | `procps-ng` | Red Hat:rhel_e4s:7.4::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-16.el7_4.2 | | `procps-ng-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_e4s:7.4::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-16.el7_4.2 | | `procps-ng-devel` | Red Hat:rhel_e4s:7.4::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-16.el7_4.2 | | `procps-ng-i18n` | Red Hat:rhel_e4s:7.4::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-16.el7_4.2 | | `procps-ng` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.5::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-17.el7_5.4 | | `procps-ng-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.5::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-17.el7_5.4 | | `procps-ng-devel` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.5::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-17.el7_5.4 | | `procps-ng-i18n` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.5::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-17.el7_5.4 | | `procps-ng` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.5::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-17.el7_5.4 | | `procps-ng-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.5::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-17.el7_5.4 | | `procps-ng-devel` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.5::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-17.el7_5.4 | | `procps-ng-i18n` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.5::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-17.el7_5.4 | | `procps-ng` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.6::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-23.el7_6.2 | | `procps-ng-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.6::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-23.el7_6.2 | | `procps-ng-devel` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.6::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-23.el7_6.2 | | `procps-ng-i18n` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.6::computenode | All versions | 0:3.3.10-23.el7_6.2 | | `procps-ng` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.6::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-23.el7_6.2 | | `procps-ng-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.6::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-23.el7_6.2 | | `procps-ng-devel` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.6::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-23.el7_6.2 | | `procps-ng-i18n` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:7.6::server | All versions | 0:3.3.10-23.el7_6.2 | Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Debian Debian Linux, Procps-Ng Project Procps-Ng. ## How do I fix CVE-2018-1122? Upgrade to a fixed version. ## Is CVE-2018-1122 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-1122 in the wild and no public exploit code. Public exploit code: - Procps-ng - Multiple Vulnerabilities (exploitdb) - Procps-ng - Multiple Vulnerabilities (exploitdb) ## 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-2018-1122 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2018-1122 is a high-severity vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 23 May 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link. Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-1122 in the wild and no public exploit code. Affected product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page. 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-2018-1122/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-1122/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-1122 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1122 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-1122 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-1122/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.