# CVE-2018-11793: Stack Overflow in Apache Mesos

> An attacker can cause a denial of service in Apache Mesos masters by sending deeply nested JSON payloads, rendering the cluster inoperable.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** 5 Mar 2019
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-p2xq-vcm7-xjj6

## What is CVE-2018-11793?

CVE-2018-11793 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Apache Mesos, published on 5 Mar 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

When parsing a JSON payload with deeply nested JSON structures, the parser in Apache Mesos versions pre-1.4.x, 1.4.0 to 1.4.2, 1.5.0 to 1.5.1, 1.6.0 to 1.6.1, and 1.7.0 might overflow the stack due to unbounded recursion. A malicious actor can therefore cause a denial of service of Mesos masters rendering the Mesos-controlled cluster inoperable.

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-11793?

8 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.mesos:mesos. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.apache.mesos:mesos` | Maven | All versions | 1.4.3 |
| `org.apache.mesos:mesos` | Maven | All versions | 1.4.3 |
| `org.apache.mesos:mesos` | Maven | From 1.5.0 | 1.5.2 |
| `org.apache.mesos:mesos` | Maven | From 1.5.0 | 1.5.2 |
| `org.apache.mesos:mesos` | Maven | From 1.6.0 | 1.6.2 |
| `org.apache.mesos:mesos` | Maven | From 1.6.0 | 1.6.2 |
| `org.apache.mesos:mesos` | Maven | From 1.7.0 | 1.7.1 |
| `org.apache.mesos:mesos` | Maven | From 1.7.0 | 1.7.1 |

Products: Apache Mesos.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-11793?

Upgrade org.apache.mesos:mesos to a fixed version for your release line: 1.4.3, 1.5.2, 1.6.2 or 1.7.1.

## Is CVE-2018-11793 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-11793 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Apache Mesos

- [CVE-2019-5736](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5736/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2019-0204](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-0204/): Docker image code execution with Apache Mesos (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2018-1330](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-1330/): Crash when decoding malformed HTTP requests or malformed JSON payload (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2017-7687](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7687/): Denial of service in Apache Mesos (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2017-9790](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-9790/): Use after free in Apache Mesos (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-11793 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-11793 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Apache Mesos, published on 5 Mar 2019. 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-2018-11793 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.apache.mesos:mesos (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.4.3
- org.apache.mesos:mesos (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.4.3
- org.apache.mesos:mesos (Maven): affected from 1.5.0; fixed in 1.5.2
- org.apache.mesos:mesos (Maven): affected from 1.5.0; fixed in 1.5.2
- org.apache.mesos:mesos (Maven): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.6.2
- org.apache.mesos:mesos (Maven): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.6.2
- org.apache.mesos:mesos (Maven): affected from 1.7.0; fixed in 1.7.1
- org.apache.mesos:mesos (Maven): affected from 1.7.0; fixed in 1.7.1

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-2018-11793/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-11793/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-11793
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11793
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-11793

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-11793/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.