CVE-2018-11545
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 · uneditedmd4c 0.2.5 has a heap-based buffer overflow in md_merge_lines because md_is_link_label mishandles the case of a link label composed solely of backslash escapes.
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 confidencemd4c 0.2.5 contains a heap-based buffer overflow in the md_merge_lines function caused by improper handling of link labels composed solely of backslash escape sequences in the md_is_link_label function, leading to memory corruption during markdown parsing.
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= 0.2.5CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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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Identify md4c library versionLocate the md4c library binary or inspect the version information from the compiled library (e.g., via library file properties, package manager query, or application dependency listing)Affected if The installed version is exactly 0.2.5
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Confirm markdown parsing usageIdentify if any application or service links against md4c and processes markdown inputAffected if md4c is loaded and actively parsing markdown content from external or untrusted sources
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Inspect input for link labels with backslash escapesReview markdown input being processed for patterns involving link labels (e.g., [text][]) containing backslash escape sequencesAffected if The parsed markdown contains link labels composed solely of backslash escape sequences (e.g., multiple backslashes within square brackets)
A system is affected if it runs md4c version 0.2.5 and parses markdown input containing link labels with backslash escape sequences.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade md4c to a patched version that addresses the link label parsing vulnerability; until then, validate and sanitize markdown input to reject malformed link labels with excessive backslash escapes.
Latest stable md4c release (version 0.4.0 or later)
- 1. Identify all applications or systems that depend on md4c version 0.2.5
- 2. Update the md4c dependency to a version newer than 0.2.5 in your project's dependency manifest (e.g., package.json, requirements.txt, or similar)
- 3. Rebuild and recompile any applications that link against the md4c library
- 4. Verify the update by running your application's test suite, particularly any markdown parsing functionality
- 5. Deploy the updated application to production environments
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-11545 — 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-2018-11545 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
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