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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2018-12929

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-06-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
ntfs_read_locked_inode in the ntfs.ko filesystem driver in the Linux kernel 4.15.0 allows attackers to trigger a use-after-free read and possibly cause a denial of service (kernel oops or panic) via a crafted ntfs filesystem.

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 confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the ntfs_read_locked_inode function within the ntfs.ko filesystem driver of Linux kernel 4.15.0. Attackers can trigger this by mounting a specially crafted malicious NTFS filesystem, causing the kernel to read from freed memory and potentially trigger a kernel oops or panic, resulting in denial of service.

MitigationUpdate the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. If NTFS filesystem support is not required, consider disabling or unloading the ntfs.ko module to reduce attack surface.

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
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:= 4.15
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 16.04.4

CVSS 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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if NTFS kernel module is loaded
    Run 'lsmod | grep ntfs' to see if ntfs.ko is currently loaded in memory
    Affected if The ntfs.ko module is loaded and the kernel version is 4.15.x or the system is Ubuntu 16.04.4
  2. Check kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' to display the running kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version starts with 4.15 (e.g., 4.15.0-xx) since the vulnerability exists in this specific version
  3. Check if NTFS support is built into the kernel
    Check /proc/filesystems for 'ntfs' or examine kernel config at /boot/config-$(uname -r) for CONFIG_NTFS_FS=y (not =m)
    Affected if NTFS support is compiled directly into the kernel (not as a module) on a 4.15 kernel
  4. Verify Ubuntu version if applicable
    On Ubuntu systems, run 'cat /etc/lsb-release' or 'dpkg -l | grep linux-image' to identify the specific kernel package version
    Affected if System is Ubuntu 16.04.4 with the original 4.15 kernel package installed

The system is affected if it runs kernel 4.15.x and has NTFS filesystem support either loaded as a module or compiled into the kernel, enabling a malicious NTFS mount to trigger the use-after-free.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. If NTFS filesystem support is not required, consider disabling or unloading the ntfs.ko module to reduce attack surface.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-12929 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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