# CVE-2018-19211: Null dereference in n/a

> A NULL pointer dereference in the ncurses library allows attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted input.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** Yes
- **Published:** 12 Nov 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2018-19211, GHSA-g37h-6hrw-v99v, JLSEC-2026-442, SUSE-SU-2018:3967-1, SUSE-SU-2018:4000-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-19211

## What is CVE-2018-19211?

CVE-2018-19211 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 12 Nov 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

In ncurses 6.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at function _nc_parse_entry in parse_entry.c that will lead to a denial of service attack. The product proceeds to the dereference code path even after a "dubious character `*' in name or alias field" detection.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-19211?

It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP3 | All versions | 5.9-61.1 |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP4 | All versions | 5.9-61.1 |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 | All versions | 6.1-5.3.1 |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 | All versions | 6.1-5.3.1 |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 | All versions | 6.1-5.3.1 |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3 | All versions | 5.9-61.1 |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP4 | All versions | 5.9-61.1 |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3 | All versions | 5.9-61.1 |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP4 | All versions | 5.9-61.1 |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP3 | All versions | 5.9-61.1 |
| `ncurses` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP4 | All versions | 5.9-61.1 |

Products: Invisible-Island Ncurses.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-19211?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2018-19211 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-19211 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2017-10684](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-10684/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-10685](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-10685/): Code injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-29491](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-29491/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2017-16879](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-16879/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2017-13728](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-13728/): Denial of service in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-19211 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-19211 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 12 Nov 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-2018-19211 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-2018-19211/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-19211/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-19211
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-19211
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-19211

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-19211/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.