CVE-2018-14744
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 use-after-free can occur in _pbcM_sp_query in map.c.
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 confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability exists in the _pbcM_sp_query function in map.c within the cloudwu PBC (Protocol Buffers C) library. The vulnerability allows an attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by accessing memory that has been freed. Given the CVSS score of 9.8 and the nature of the library, this is likely remotely exploitable without authentication.
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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Locate the PBC library in your environmentSearch for files named map.c or libpbc.* in your project directories, system libraries, or dependency folders. Common locations include /usr/lib/, /usr/local/lib/, or project-specific vendor/dependencies folders.Affected if The PBC library or its source code is present in your environment
-
Identify the PBC library version or source dateCheck for version tags, git commit dates, or changelog files in the PBC library distribution. If using a package manager, run 'pkg-config --modversion pbc' or check your package manager's list of installed packages. Look for version metadata or timestamps in the source files.Affected if The version is dated 2017-03-02 or earlier, or no version/date information is available indicating it may be an older build
-
Verify the vulnerable function exists in map.cOpen the map.c file from the PBC library and search for the function signature '_pbcM_sp_query'. The presence of this function indicates the potentially vulnerable code path.Affected if The function _pbcM_sp_query is present in map.c and is being called by your application
-
Check application linkage to PBCInspect your application's dependencies using 'ldd <executable>' on Linux or dependency Walker on Windows. For interpreted languages, check for PBC bindings or shared object loading. Review build configuration for PBC linkage.Affected if Your application dynamically or statically links to the affected PBC library version
Your environment is affected if the cloudwu PBC library version is 2017-03-02 or earlier, the _pbcM_sp_query function exists in map.c, and your application uses this library.
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 cloudwu PBC to a version after 2017-03-02 that contains the fix for this use-after-free vulnerability. If no patched version is available, patch the _pbcM_sp_query function in map.c to ensure proper memory lifecycle management and avoid accessing freed pointers.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-14744 — 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-2018-14744 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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