CVE-2018-14736
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 libpbc.a in cloudwu PBC through 2017-03-02. A buffer over-read can occur in pbc_wmessage_string in wmessage.c for PTYPE_ENUM.
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 confidenceA buffer over-read vulnerability exists in the PBC (Protocol Buffers C) library's wmessage.c file, specifically in the pbc_wmessage_string function when handling PTYPE_ENUM. The flaw allows reading beyond buffer boundaries, potentially leading to information disclosure or undefined behavior. This is a classic bounds-checking issue in C code where array/string indices are not properly validated before access.
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<= 2017-03-02CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate the PBC library source fileFind the wmessage.c file in your PBC library installation or source tree. Common locations include /src/wmessage.c or a similar source directory within the PBC project.Affected if The file cannot be found or is not present in the expected source structure.
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Determine the PBC library version or dateCheck the version metadata or file modification date of the PBC library source. Look for version tags, git commit dates, or build timestamps. Compare against the 2017-03-02 threshold.Affected if The installed version is dated 2017-03-02 or earlier, indicating it contains the unpatched code.
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Inspect the pbc_wmessage_string functionOpen wmessage.c and locate the pbc_wmessage_string function. Search for the code block handling PTYPE_ENUM case. Examine whether bounds checking or validation occurs before any buffer read operations in that code path.Affected if The function contains PTYPE_ENUM handling without proper bounds validation before array/buffer access.
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Verify buffer access patterns in the vulnerable functionIn the pbc_wmessage_string function, identify all buffer or array access operations within the PTYPE_ENUM case. Check if there is any validation (such as length checks or boundary tests) preceding these accesses.Affected if Buffer reads occur without prior validation that the read position/index is within safe bounds.
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Check for PTYPE_ENUM usage in message parsingReview how your application or service uses PBC to parse protobuf messages. Determine if messages containing enum fields (PTYPE_ENUM) are processed by the pbc_wmessage_string function.Affected if Your application processes protobuf messages with enum types using the affected PBC library version.
You are affected if your PBC library version is dated 2017-03-02 or earlier AND your application processes protobuf messages containing enum fields that trigger the vulnerable pbc_wmessage_string function 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 a patched version of cloudwu PBC (post-2017-03-02) that includes proper bounds checking in the pbc_wmessage_string function for PTYPE_ENUM handling, or apply a localized fix to add validation before buffer access operations.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-14736 — 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-2018-14736 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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