CVE-2018-14033
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in the HDF HDF5 1.8.20 library. There is a heap-based buffer over-read in the function H5O_layout_decode in H5Olayout.c, related to HDmemcpy.
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 confidenceHeap-based buffer over-read vulnerability in the HDF HDF5 1.8.20 library's H5O_layout_decode function in H5Olayout.c, triggered during layout decoding via HDmemcpy. The lack of proper bounds checking allows reading beyond allocated heap memory, potentially leading to information disclosure, denial of service, or code execution.
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= 1.8.20CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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.
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Confirm HDF5 library presenceCheck if the HDF5 library is installed on the system by searching for libhdf5 or h5dump binaries. On Linux: 'ldconfig -p | grep hdf5' or 'which h5dump'. On Windows: check for hdf5.dll in system directories or application bin folders.Affected if HDF5 library is not found on the system, so the vulnerability does not apply.
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Identify installed HDF5 versionRun 'h5dump -V' or 'h5ls -V' to display the HDF5 version. Alternatively, check the library file version: 'strings libhdf5.so | grep 1.8' on Linux, or view file properties of hdf5.dll on Windows. Check package manager listings: 'dpkg -l | grep hdf5' or 'rpm -qa | grep hdf5'.Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.8.20; other versions (earlier or later) are not affected by this specific CVE.
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Determine if application uses HDF5 file processingReview application documentation or source code to confirm it utilizes the HDF5 library for reading or writing HDF5 files. Check for linking against libhdf5: 'ldd <application> | grep hdf5' on Linux.Affected if The application does not process HDF5 files, so the vulnerable code path cannot be triggered.
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Assess file input vectorIdentify whether the application accepts HDF5 files from untrusted sources (user uploads, network data, external storage) that would trigger the H5O_layout_decode function during file opening.Affected if HDF5 files from untrusted sources are processed, enabling the vulnerable code path to be reached.
A system is affected only if HDF5 version 1.8.20 is installed AND an application processes HDF5 files that trigger the H5O_layout_decode code path.
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 dataUpdate to HDF5 version 1.8.21 or later which contains the patch for this vulnerability; alternatively, sanitize HDF5 file inputs before processing to prevent malicious files from reaching the vulnerable code path.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-14033 — 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-2018-14033 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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