# CVE-2018-16742: Memory corruption in n/a

> A stack-based buffer overflow in mgetty allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malicious command-line parameter.

- **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:** 13 Sep 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2018-16742, GHSA-4qch-qm87-8j72, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-16742

## What is CVE-2018-16742?

CVE-2018-16742 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 13 Sep 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An issue was discovered in mgetty before 1.2.1. In contrib/scrts.c, a stack-based buffer overflow can be triggered via a command-line parameter.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-16742?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mgetty Project Mgetty.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-16742?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2018-16742 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-16742 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2018-16743](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16743/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2018-16744](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16744/): Command injection in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2018-16745](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16745/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2019-1010189](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1010189/): Denial of service in mgetty (medium 5.5)
- [CVE-2019-1010190](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1010190/): Denial of service in mgetty (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-16742 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-16742 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 13 Sep 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-16742 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2018-16742/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16742/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-16742
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16742
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-16742

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16742/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.