# CVE-2018-20099: Denial of service in n/a

> A crafted input triggers an infinite loop in Exiv2, allowing remote attackers to cause a denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 12 Dec 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-wr4g-wr5g-w9c8, PYSEC-2018-120

## What is CVE-2018-20099?

CVE-2018-20099 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Exiv2 Exiv2, published on 12 Dec 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

There is an infinite loop in Exiv2::Jp2Image::encodeJp2Header of jp2image.cpp in Exiv2 0.27-RC3. A crafted input will lead to a remote denial of service attack.

Weakness: CWE-835 (Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-20099?

1 open source package ship an affected version, including exiv2. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `exiv2` | PyPI | All versions | None |

Products: Exiv2 Exiv2.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-20099?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2018-20099 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-20099 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Exiv2 Exiv2

- [CVE-2023-44398](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-44398/): Out-of-bounds write in exiv2 (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-9143](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-9143/): Denial of service in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-9144](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-9144/): Denial of service in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2018-14046](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-14046/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2017-12955](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-12955/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-20099 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-20099 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Exiv2 Exiv2, published on 12 Dec 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-20099 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- exiv2 (PyPI): affected all versions; no fix listed

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-2018-20099/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-20099/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-20099
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-20099
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-20099

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-20099/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.