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Virtualization HostApplication · Redhat

CVE-2018-14660

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-11-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.1.4 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
A flaw was found in glusterfs server through versions 4.1.4 and 3.1.2 which allowed repeated usage of GF_META_LOCK_KEY xattr. A remote, authenticated attacker could use this flaw to create multiple locks for single inode by using setxattr repetitively resulting in memory exhaustion of glusterfs server node.

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 memory exhaustion vulnerability in GlusterFS server versions 4.1.4 and 3.1.2 allows remote authenticated attackers to repeatedly call setxattr on the GF_META_LOCK_KEY xattr, creating multiple locks on a single inode. This exhausts server memory and can denial-of-service the glusterfs node.

MitigationUpgrade GlusterFS server to version 4.1.5 or later (or 3.1.3 or later for the 3.x branch) to patch the xattr lock handling vulnerability.

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
Virtualization HostApplication
Affected:= 4.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0
VirtualizationApplication
Affected:= 4.0
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 9.0
GlusterfsApplication
Affected:>= 3.1.0, <= 3.1.2>= 4.1.0, <= 4.1.4

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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. Identify GlusterFS installation and version
    Run 'gluster --version' or check the installed package version using your package manager (rpm -q glusterfs-server or dpkg -l glusterfs). Compare the version number to the affected ranges: 3.1.0 through 3.1.2, or 4.1.0 through 4.1.4
    Affected if The installed version is 3.1.0-3.1.2 or 4.1.0-4.1.4
  2. Confirm GlusterFS server service is running
    Run 'systemctl status glusterfs-server' or 'ps aux | grep glusterd' to verify the GlusterFS daemon is active. The vulnerability only affects the server component
    Affected if The glusterd or glusterfsd process is running and the version is within the affected range
  3. Check if remote authentication is enabled
    Examine /etc/glusterfs/glusterd.vol or run 'gluster volume info all' to see if any volumes allow remote client access. The attack requires authenticated remote access
    Affected if Remote access is permitted (auth.allow/ auth.reject settings allow non-localhost connections) and the version is vulnerable
  4. Review xattr lock behavior
    Monitor memory usage of glusterfsd processes during normal operation. Check for excessive GF_META_LOCK_KEY lock accumulation using 'gluster volume status' and review any custom volume options related to meta-lock or posix-locks
    Affected if Memory usage grows abnormally with repeated setxattr operations on any xattr, indicating lock exhaustion is occurring
  5. Check for signs of exploitation
    Review glusterfs server logs (/var/log/glusterfs/) for repeated setxattr calls on GF_META_LOCK_KEY, error messages about lock acquisition failures, or out-of-memory conditions
    Affected if Logs show repeated setxattr calls on the same inode or lock-related errors that suggest the vulnerability is being exploited

You are affected if GlusterFS server version 3.1.0-3.1.2 or 4.1.0-4.1.4 is running and accepts remote authenticated connections, as this allows attackers to trigger the memory exhaustion via repeated setxattr calls on GF_META_LOCK_KEY.

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 a release after 4.1.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GlusterFS server to version 4.1.5 or later (or 3.1.3 or later for the 3.x branch) to patch the xattr lock handling vulnerability.

Fix this in Virtualization Host 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-2018-14660 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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