CVE-2018-11555
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 · uneditedtificc in Little CMS 2.9 has an out-of-bounds write in the PrecalculatedXFORM function in cmsxform.c in liblcms2.a via a crafted TIFF file. NOTE: Little CMS developers do consider this a vulnerability because the issue is based on an sample program using LIBTIFF and do not apply to the lcms2 library, lcms2 does not depends on LIBTIFF other than to build sample programs, and the issue cannot be reproduced on the lcms2 library.”
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in the PrecalculatedXFORM function in cmsxform.c within liblcms2.a, triggered when the tificc sample program processes a crafted TIFF file. However, Little CMS developers state this only affects their sample program using LIBTIFF and cannot be reproduced in the core lcms2 library.
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= 2.9CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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.
-
Check if the tificc sample program is presentLocate the tificc binary on the system using 'which tificc' or by searching common installation directories such as /usr/bin/, /usr/local/bin/, or the build directory where Little CMS was compiled.Affected if The tificc binary exists on the system.
-
Verify the installed Little CMS versionRun 'tificc -h' or check the library version using tools like lcms2info, or inspect the liblcms2.a or liblcms2.so library file for its version metadata.Affected if The installed version is 2.9.
-
Confirm tificc is linked against libtiffExamine the tificc binary or its build configuration to determine whether it was compiled with LIBTIFF support (check for libtiff dependencies using 'ldd tificc' on Linux or inspect compile-time flags).Affected if tificc uses LIBTIFF to process TIFF files.
-
Determine if tificc processes untrusted TIFF inputReview any scripts, automated workflows, or services that invoke tificc, and identify whether they process TIFF files from untrusted or external sources.Affected if tificc processes crafted or untrusted TIFF files.
You are affected only if the tificc sample program (linked with LIBTIFF) version 2.9 is present and used to process untrusted crafted TIFF files; the core lcms2 library itself is not vulnerable per vendor statements.
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 dataIf the tificc sample program is not required in production, remove or disable it. If needed, ensure only trusted input files are processed and consider using updated sample code. The core lcms2 library itself does not require remediation per vendor statements.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-11555 — 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-2018-11555 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data