CVE-2018-1166 Use after free in Joyent SmartOS

High 7.8 Published 21 Feb 2018 Updated 5 Aug 2024

Local attackers can escalate privileges to execute code as root via a use-after-free flaw in the SMBIOC_TREE_RELE ioctl.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2018-1166?

CVE-2018-1166 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Joyent SmartOS, published on 21 Feb 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on vulnerable installations of Joyent SmartOS release-20170803-20170803T064301Z. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the SMBIOC_TREE_RELE ioctl. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code under the context of the host OS. Was ZDI-CAN-4984.

Weakness: CWE-20, CWE-416

Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-1166?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Joyent Smartos.

How do I fix CVE-2018-1166?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-1166 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.

Is CVE-2018-1166 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-1166 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-x8h6-px62-hfm6.