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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2018-12930

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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_end_buffer_async_read in the ntfs.ko filesystem driver in the Linux kernel 4.15.0 allows attackers to trigger a stack-based out-of-bounds write and cause a denial of service (kernel oops or panic) or possibly have unspecified other impact 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 · moderate confidence

A stack-based out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in the ntfs_end_buffer_async_read function within the ntfs.ko filesystem driver in Linux kernel 4.15.0. Attackers can exploit this by mounting a crafted malicious NTFS filesystem, triggering the vulnerability to cause a kernel oops or panic, with potential for unspecified further impact.

MitigationAvoid mounting untrusted or unknown NTFS filesystems until a kernel patch is applied. Update to a kernel version containing the fix for CVE-2018-12930, or rebuild the kernel with the corrected ntfs.ko module.

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the running kernel version
    Run `uname -r` or check `/proc/version` to get the exact kernel version string
    Affected if The version begins with 4.15 (e.g., 4.15.0-xx) or matches the specific affected version range for your distribution
  2. Confirm NTFS kernel module availability
    Check if ntfs.ko exists by running `modinfo ntfs` or looking in `/lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/fs/ntfs/`
    Affected if The ntfs.ko module file is present on the system
  3. Determine if NTFS module is currently loaded
    Run `lsmod | grep ntfs` to check if the ntfs module is currently loaded in memory
    Affected if The ntfs module is listed in the output of lsmod, indicating it is loaded
  4. Verify NTFS filesystem support is active
    Check `/proc/filesystems` for 'ntfs' or run `mount -t ntfs` to see if NTFS mounting capability exists
    Affected if NTFS is listed as a supported filesystem and mounting NTFS volumes succeeds

A system is affected if it runs a 4.15.x kernel AND has the ntfs.ko kernel module available or loaded, making it capable of mounting NTFS filesystems which could trigger the vulnerability.

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

Avoid mounting untrusted or unknown NTFS filesystems until a kernel patch is applied. Update to a kernel version containing the fix for CVE-2018-12930, or rebuild the kernel with the corrected ntfs.ko module.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $6,960
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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-2018-12930 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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