# CVE-2018-12449: Other in Whale Browser Installer

> An attacker can execute arbitrary code via DLL hijacking in the Whale browser installer, potentially leading to privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 11 Oct 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-97p5-8vv4-5x5q

## What is CVE-2018-12449?

CVE-2018-12449 is a high-severity vulnerability in NAVER Corporation Whale Browser Installer, published on 11 Oct 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

The Whale browser installer 0.4.3.0 and earlier versions allows DLL hijacking.

Weakness: CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-12449?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Navercorp Whale.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-12449?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-12449 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-12449 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-12449 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in NAVER Corporation Whale Browser Installer

- [CVE-2025-62583](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-62583/): Security feature bypass in NAVER Whale browser (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-53599](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-53599/): Cross-site scripting in NAVER Whale browser (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-24074](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-24074/): Missing authorization in NAVER Whale browser (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-69234](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-69234/): Security feature bypass in NAVER Whale browser (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2018-9859](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-9859/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-12449 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-12449 is a high-severity vulnerability in NAVER Corporation Whale Browser Installer, published on 11 Oct 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-2018-12449 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: NAVER Corporation Whale Browser Installer. 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-2018-12449/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12449/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-12449
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12449
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-12449

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12449/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.