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SatelliteApplication · Redhat

CVE-2018-1517

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-08-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 in the java.math component in IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0 may allow an attacker to inflict a denial-of-service attack with specially crafted String data. IBM X-Force ID: 141681.

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 confidence

A denial-of-service vulnerability exists in the java.math component of IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition versions 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0. The flaw allows attackers to cause excessive computational resource consumption by providing specially crafted String data to the java.math functionality, potentially rendering the affected system unresponsive.

MitigationApply the appropriate IBM Java SDK patch or upgrade to a non-vulnerable version as specified in IBM's security bulletin. Identify all deployments using the affected IBM Java versions and prioritize patching internet-facing systems.

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
SatelliteApplication
Affected:= 5.6= 5.7= 5.8
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0
Software Development KitApplication
Affected:= 6= 6.0= 6r1= 7= 7.0= 7r1= 8= 8.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed IBM Java SDK version
    Run 'java -version' and check the version string, or inspect the JRE/JDK installation directory for version manifest files. For Red Hat systems, also check 'rpm -qa | grep -i java' to list installed Java packages.
    Affected if The version matches 6.0, 6r1, 7.0, 7r1, 8.0 or falls within the IBM Java 6, 7, or 8 release families listed as affected.
  2. Confirm java.math usage in deployed applications
    Review application code for usage of java.math classes (BigDecimal, BigInteger) that accept String input, particularly where external user input is converted to numeric types via constructors like 'new BigDecimal(String)'.
    Affected if Applications parse String data into java.math numeric types and the IBM Java versions in step 1 are vulnerable.
  3. Check for affected Red Hat products
    On Red Hat systems, run 'rpm -qa | grep -E "(satellite|redhat-release)"' to identify the installed Red Hat product and version. Affected versions are Satellite 5.6, 5.7, 5.8 and RHEL 6.0, 7.0 variants.
    Affected if The system runs Red Hat Satellite 5.6-5.8 or RHEL 6.0/7.0 with the bundled IBM Java vulnerable versions.
  4. Audit Java deployment inventory
    Inventory all servers and endpoints running IBM Java by querying configuration management databases, deployment scripts, or using network scanning tools that detect Java versions. Document all installations of affected IBM SDK versions.
    Affected if Any system in the environment runs the vulnerable IBM Java versions and processes untrusted String input through java.math.

You are affected if your environment contains IBM Java SDK versions 6.0-8.0 (or 6/6r1/7/7r1/8) and applications process String data through java.math classes, particularly on Red Hat Satellite 5.6-5.8 or RHEL 6.0/7.0 systems.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the appropriate IBM Java SDK patch or upgrade to a non-vulnerable version as specified in IBM's security bulletin. Identify all deployments using the affected IBM Java versions and prioritize patching internet-facing systems.

Fix this in Satellite Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,480
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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-2018-1517 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