Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2018-10195
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedlrzsz before version 0.12.21~rc can leak information to the receiving side due to an incorrect length check in the function zsdata that causes a size_t to wrap around.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe lrzsz file transfer utility before version 0.12.21~rc contains an integer wraparound vulnerability in the zsdata function where an incorrect length check causes a size_t to wrap around, allowing information to leak to the receiving side during ZMODEM/XMODEM file transfers.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 9.0<= 0.12.20= 11= 12= 11= 12CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify lrzsz is installedRun 'dpkg -l lrzsz' on Debian-based systems or 'rpm -qa | grep lrzsz' on RHEL/SUSE systems. Alternatively, check for the binary with 'which rz' or 'which sz'.Affected if The package or binary is found on the system, indicating lrzsz is present.
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Determine installed lrzsz versionRun 'lrzsz --version' or check the package version with 'dpkg -s lrzsz' / 'rpm -qi lrzsz'. Compare the version number to the affected range (anything <= 0.12.20).Affected if The installed version is 0.12.20 or earlier, or falls within the specific affected Debian/SUSE versions listed in the CVE.
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Confirm ZMODEM/XMODEM transfer usageReview system logs, application logs, or network captures for evidence of file transfers using the ZMODEM or XMODEM protocols. Check if users invoke 'rz' or 'sz' commands, or if any service/application uses these protocols.Affected if ZMODEM or XMODEM file transfers are being performed using the affected lrzsz version.
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Inspect the zsdata function contextIf the lrzsz binary is available, verify it was built from the vulnerable codebase (<= 0.12.20). Review any custom builds or embedded copies of lrzsz in applications.Affected if The binary in use is from a version <= 0.12.20 and handles ZMODEM/XMODEM transfers.
A system is affected if it has lrzsz version 0.12.20 or earlier installed and actively uses ZMODEM or XMODEM file transfer functionality.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade to lrzsz version 0.12.21~rc or later to obtain the corrected length validation in the zsdata function. As a temporary measure, restrict or monitor file transfers using affected versions.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,832.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-10195 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-10195 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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