An allocation of memory without limits, that could result in the stack clashing with another memory region, was discovered in systemd-journa
An allocation of memory without limits, that could result in the stack clashing with another memory region, was discovered in systemd-journald when many entries are sent to the journal socket. A local attacker, or a remote one if systemd-journal-remote is used, may use this flaw to crash systemd-journald or execute code with journald privileges. Versions through v240 are vulnerable.
- Published
- Jan 11, 2019
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 3.0% · 87th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-770
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Report tools
Action score
32
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 3.0%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 7.8
- CNA · redhat
- 7.5
- 0.3 point gap
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| systemd project | systemd | cpe:2.3:a:systemd_project:systemd |
| redhat | enterprise linux desktop | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop |
| redhat | enterprise linux server | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server |
| redhat | enterprise linux server aus | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus |
| redhat | enterprise linux server eus | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_eus |
| redhat | enterprise linux server tus | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus |
| redhat | enterprise linux workstation | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation |
| debian | debian linux | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux |
| canonical | ubuntu linux | cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux |
| oracle | communications session border controller | cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_session_border_controller |
| oracle | enterprise communications broker | cpe:2.3:a:oracle:enterprise_communications_broker |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- canonical ubuntu linux16.04
- canonical ubuntu linux18.04
- canonical ubuntu linux18.10
- debian debian linux8.0
- debian debian linux9.0
- oracle communications session border controller8.0.0
- oracle communications session border controller8.1.0
- oracle communications session border controller8.2.0
- oracle enterprise communications broker3.0.0
- oracle enterprise communications broker3.1.0
- redhat enterprise linux desktop7.0
- redhat enterprise linux server7.0
- redhat enterprise linux server aus7.3
- redhat enterprise linux server aus7.6
- redhat enterprise linux server eus7.5
- redhat enterprise linux server eus7.6
- redhat enterprise linux server tus7.3
- redhat enterprise linux server tus7.6
- redhat enterprise linux workstation7.0
- systemd project systemdup to 240 inclusive
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (redhat). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
The systemd Project systemd
- through v240affected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | systemd | before 240-4 | 240-4 |
| Debian:8 | systemd | before 215-17+deb8u9 | 215-17+deb8u9 |
| Debian:9 | systemd | before 232-25+deb9u7 | 232-25+deb9u7 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.0 | systemd | before 234-lp150.20.12.1 | 234-lp150.20.12.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.0 | systemd-mini | before 234-lp150.20.12.1 | 234-lp150.20.12.1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | systemd | before 249.4-2.2 | 249.4-2.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | libgudev1 | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | libgudev1-devel | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-debuginfo | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-devel | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-journal-gateway | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-libs | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-networkd | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-python | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-resolved | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-sysv | before 0:219-62.el7_6.2 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::hypervisor | redhat-release-virtualization-host | before 0:4.2-8.1.el7 | 0:4.2-8.1.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::hypervisor | redhat-virtualization-host | before 0:4.2-20190129.0.el7_6 | 0:4.2-20190129.0.el7_6 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::hypervisor | redhat-virtualization-host-image-update | before 0:4.2-20190129.0.el7_6 | 0:4.2-20190129.0.el7_6 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::hypervisor | redhat-virtualization-host-image-update-placeholder | before 0:4.2-8.1.el7 | 0:4.2-8.1.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::hypervisor | rhvm-appliance | before 2:4.2-20190129.0.el7 | 2:4.2-20190129.0.el7 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.3::server | libgudev1 | before 0:219-30.el7_3.13 | 0:219-30.el7_3.13 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.3::server | libgudev1-devel | before 0:219-30.el7_3.13 | 0:219-30.el7_3.13 |
+35
Same product
systemd project: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2017-9445In systemd through 233, certain sizes passed to dns_packet_new in systemd-resolved can cause it to allocate a buffer that's too small.46Plan
- CVE-2018-21029systemd 239 through 245 accepts any certificate signed by a trusted certificate authority for DNS Over TLS.40Plan
- CVE-2015-7510Stack-based buffer overflow in the getpwnam and getgrnam functions of the NSS module nss-mymachines in systemd.40Plan
- CVE-2017-1000082systemd v233 and earlier fails to safely parse usernames starting with a numeric digit (e.g.40Plan
- CVE-2022-2526A use-after-free vulnerability was found in systemd.39Monitor
- CVE-2017-15908In systemd 223 through 235, a remote DNS server can respond with a custom crafted DNS NSEC resource record to trigger an infinite loop in th37Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:systemd | 240-4 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:systemd | 234-lp150.20.12.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.0 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:systemd-mini | 234-lp150.20.12.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.0 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:libgudev1 | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:libgudev1-devel | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:redhat-virtualization-host | 0:4.2-20190129.0.el7_6 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::hypervisor | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-debuginfo | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-devel | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-journal-gateway | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-libs | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-networkd | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-python | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-resolved | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-sysv | 0:219-62.el7_6.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:systemd | 210-70.74.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12-LTSS | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-770 · Allocation of Resources Without Limits or ThrottlingCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- FloodingCAPEC-125likelihood: High · Medium
- Excessive AllocationCAPEC-130likelihood: Medium · Medium
- XML Ping of the DeathCAPEC-147likelihood: Low · Medium
- Exponential Data ExpansionCAPEC-197likelihood: High · Medium
- Serialized Data Parameter BlowupCAPEC-229likelihood: High · High
- Serialized Data with Nested PayloadsCAPEC-230likelihood: Medium · High
- Oversized Serialized Data PayloadsCAPEC-231likelihood: Medium · High
- HTTP DoSCAPEC-469Low
ATT&CK techniques
- Network Denial of Service:Direct Network FloodT1498.001
- Network Denial of Service:Reflection AmplificationT1498.002
- Endpoint Denial of ServiceT1499
- Endpoint Denial of Service: OS Exhaustion FloodT1499.001
- Endpoint Denial of Service:Service Exhaustion FloodT1499.002
- Endpoint Denial of Service:Application Exhaustion FloodT1499.003
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/152841/System-Down-A-systemd-journald-Exploit.html
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/May/21
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/05/10/4
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/07/20/2
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/106525
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2019:0327
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0049
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0204
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0271
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0342
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0361
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2402
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16865
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/01/msg00016.html
- seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/May/25
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/201903-07
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190117-0001/
- usn.ubuntu.com/3855-1/
- www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4367
- www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2019-5072813.html
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.