# CVE-2018-7273: Information disclosure in n/a

> The Linux kernel floppy driver leaks kernel addresses via dmesg, allowing attackers to bypass KASLR and other security protections.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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:** 21 Feb 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2018-7273, GHSA-749m-f23f-j6rq, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-7273

## What is CVE-2018-7273?

CVE-2018-7273 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Feb 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel through 4.15.4, the floppy driver reveals the addresses of kernel functions and global variables using printk calls within the function show_floppy in drivers/block/floppy.c. An attacker can read this information from dmesg and use the addresses to find the locations of kernel code and data and bypass kernel security protections such as KASLR.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-7273?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-7273?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2018-7273 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-7273 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Linux Kernel < 4.15.4 - 'show_floppy' KASLR Address Leak (exploitdb)
- https://github.com/jedai47/CVE-2018-7273 (github_poc): https://github.com/jedai47/CVE-2018-7273

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-7273 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-7273 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Feb 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-2018-7273 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2018-7273/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-7273/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-7273
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-7273
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-7273

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-7273/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.