# CVE-2018-15687: systemd: chown_one() can dereference symlinks

> A race condition in systemd allows attackers to set arbitrary permissions on files, potentially leading to privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 Oct 2018
- **Updated:** 9 Jun 2025
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2018-15687, GHSA-wxcv-623q-99fj, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-15687

## What is CVE-2018-15687?

CVE-2018-15687 is a high-severity vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 26 Oct 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A race condition in chown_one() of systemd allows an attacker to cause systemd to set arbitrary permissions on arbitrary files. Affected releases are systemd versions up to and including 239.

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-15687?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Systemd Project Systemd.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-15687?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2018-15687 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2018-15687 exists.

Public exploit code:

- systemd - 'chown_one()' Dereference Symlinks (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-2018-15687 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-15687 is a high-severity vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 26 Oct 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2018-15687 exists.

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-2018-15687/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-15687/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15687
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-15687
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-15687

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-15687/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.