# CVE-2018-5392: mingw-w64 version 5.0.4 by default produces executables that opt in to ASLR, but are not compatible with ASLR

> MinGW-w64 generates executables claiming ASLR compatibility but lacking relocation tables, allowing attackers to bypass ASLR mitigations for easier exploitation.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Aug 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2018-5392, ECHO-3985-4d70-6d87, GHSA-x4v8-qgp4-6739, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-5392

## What is CVE-2018-5392?

CVE-2018-5392 is a high-severity vulnerability in mingw-w64, published on 14 Aug 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

mingw-w64 version 5.0.4 by default produces executables that opt in to ASLR, but are not compatible with ASLR. ASLR is an exploit mitigation technique used by modern Windows platforms. For ASLR to function, Windows executables must contain a relocations table. Despite containing the "Dynamic base" PE header, which indicates ASLR compatibility, Windows executables produced by mingw-w64 have the relocations table stripped from them by default. This means that executables produced by mingw-w64 are vulnerable to return-oriented programming (ROP) attacks. Windows executables generated by mingw-w64 claim to be ASLR compatible, but are not. Vulnerabilities in such executables are more easily exploitable as a result.

Weakness: CWE-824 (Access of Uninitialized Pointer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-5392?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mingw Mingw-W64.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-5392?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-5392 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-5392 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-5392 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-5392 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-5392 is a high-severity vulnerability in mingw-w64, published on 14 Aug 2018. 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-2018-5392 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: mingw-w64. 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-2018-5392/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5392/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-5392
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-5392
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-5392

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5392/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.