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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 16 Feb 2026.
Pan OsOperating system · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2018-14634

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-09-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.1.23 / 8.0.16 or later.
See remediation →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Public exploit Zero-click Patch available

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
An integer overflow flaw was found in the Linux kernel's create_elf_tables() function. An unprivileged local user with access to SUID (or otherwise privileged) binary could use this flaw to escalate their privileges on the system. Kernel versions 2.6.x, 3.10.x and 4.14.x are believed to be vulnerable.

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

Integer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's create_elf_tables() function allows unprivileged local users to escalate privileges by exploiting SUID or otherwise privileged binaries.

MitigationApply kernel security patches or upgrade to a patched kernel version; organizations should prioritize patching given the public exploitability and high severity.

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
Pan OsOperating system
Affected:>= 7.1.0, < 7.1.23>= 8.0.0, < 8.0.16>= 8.1.0, < 8.1.7
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, < 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5>= 13.0.0, < 13.1.1.5>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.1.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.0.6
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, < 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5>= 13.0.0, < 13.1.1.5>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.1.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.0.6
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, < 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5>= 13.0.0, < 13.1.1.5>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.1.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.0.6
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, < 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5>= 13.0.0, < 13.1.1.5>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.1.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.0.6
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, < 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5>= 13.0.0, < 13.1.1.5>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.1.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.0.6
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, < 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5>= 13.0.0, < 13.1.1.5>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.1.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.0.6
Big Ip Edge GatewayWeb browser
Affected:>= 11.2.1, < 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5>= 13.0.0, < 13.1.1.5>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.1.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.0.6

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. Check Linux kernel version
    Run `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version` to display the running kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version falls within 2.6.x, 3.10.x, or 4.14.x ranges and is not patched
  2. Check Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS version
    Access the device via CLI and run `show system info` or check the web interface dashboard for the firmware version
    Affected if The PAN-OS version is >= 7.1.0 and < 7.1.23, OR >= 8.0.0 and < 8.0.16, OR >= 8.1.0 and < 8.1.7
  3. Check F5 Big IP version
    Run `tmsh show sys version` on the command line or view the version in the web interface under System > Software > Volume
    Affected if The Big IP version is within any of the affected ranges: >= 11.2.1 and < 11.6.4, >= 12.1.0 and < 12.1.5, >= 13.0.0 and < 13.1.1.5, >= 14.0.0 and < 14.0.1.1, or >= 14.1.0 and < 14.1.0.6
  4. Verify SUID binaries exist
    Run `find / -perm -4000 -type f 2>/dev/null` to list SUID executables
    Affected if The system has SUID binaries and the kernel version is in the affected ranges, making privilege escalation possible

A system is affected if it runs a Linux kernel 2.6.x, 3.10.x, or 4.14.x, or runs Palo Alto PAN-OS or F5 Big IP versions within the specific vulnerable ranges listed.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 7.1.23 / 8.0.16 / 8.1.7 or later
Fixed in 7.1.238.0.168.1.7
Vendor patch security.netapp.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply kernel security patches or upgrade to a patched kernel version; organizations should prioritize patching given the public exploitability and high severity.

Fix this in Pan Os Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-14634 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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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-2018-14634 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data