# CVE-2018-16883: Information disclosure in sssd

> Local attackers can access sensitive user directory information via the infopipe due to improper access restrictions in SSSD.

- **Severity:** Low 2.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`)
- **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:** 19 Dec 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2018-16883, GHSA-4qf7-r2vx-jf49, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-16883

## What is CVE-2018-16883?

CVE-2018-16883 is a low-severity vulnerability in [UNKNOWN] sssd, published on 19 Dec 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

sssd versions from 1.13.0 to before 2.0.0 did not properly restrict access to the infopipe according to the "allowed_uids" configuration parameter. If sensitive information were stored in the user directory, this could be inadvertently disclosed to local attackers.

Weakness: CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-16883?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Fedoraproject Sssd.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-16883?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2018-16883 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-16883 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in [UNKNOWN] sssd

- [CVE-2022-4254](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4254/): Other in SSSD (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2012-3462](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-3462/): Auth bypass in sssd (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-104048](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-104048/): Sssd: sssd: authorization bypass via cross-domain username collision in hbac evaluation (medium 6.8)
- [CVE-2015-5292](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5292/): Denial of service in n/a (medium 6.8)
- [CVE-2026-12610](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-12610/): Sssd: use-after-free crash in sssd' 'sssd_pam' process (medium 6.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-16883 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-16883 is a low-severity vulnerability in [UNKNOWN] sssd, published on 19 Dec 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-2018-16883 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: [UNKNOWN] sssd. 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-2018-16883/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16883/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-16883
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16883
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-16883

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16883/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.