# CVE-2018-17161: Memory corruption in FreeBSD

> A stack buffer overflow in FreeBSD's bootpd allows remote attackers to cause denial of service or execute arbitrary code via crafted packets.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Jan 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-84wx-rw6h-3h88

## What is CVE-2018-17161?

CVE-2018-17161 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Freebsd Freebsd, published on 3 Jan 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In FreeBSD before 11.2-STABLE(r348229), 11.2-RELEASE-p7, 12.0-STABLE(r342228), and 12.0-RELEASE-p1, insufficient validation of network-provided data in bootpd may make it possible for a malicious attacker to craft a bootp packet which could cause a stack buffer overflow. It is possible that the buffer overflow could lead to a Denial of Service or remote code execution.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-17161?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Freebsd Freebsd.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-17161?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-17161 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-17161 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-17161 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Freebsd Freebsd

- [CVE-2018-17160](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-17160/): Memory corruption in FreeBSD (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2014-3954](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-3954/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2006-4304](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-4304/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2006-0226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-0226/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2004-0002](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0002/): Denial of service in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-17161 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-17161 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Freebsd Freebsd, published on 3 Jan 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-2018-17161 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Freebsd Freebsd. 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-2018-17161/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-17161/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-17161
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-17161
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-17161

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-17161/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.