Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2018-17937
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 · uneditedgpsd versions 2.90 to 3.17 and microjson versions 1.0 to 1.3, an open source project, allow a stack-based buffer overflow, which may allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on embedded platforms via traffic on Port 2947/TCP or crafted JSON inputs.
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 stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in gpsd versions 2.90 through 3.17 and microjson versions 1.0 through 1.3. The overflow occurs when processing traffic on Port 2947/TCP or handling crafted JSON inputs, potentially allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on embedded platforms.
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
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 8.0= 9.0>= 2.90, <= 3.17>= 1.0, <= 1.3CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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.
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Identify if gpsd is installedRun 'gpsd --version' or check package manager: dpkg -l | grep gpsd or rpm -qa | grep gpsdAffected if gpsd is installed and version is between 2.90 and 3.17 inclusive
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Identify if microjson is installedCheck for microjson library files or check package manager: dpkg -l | grep microjson or find /usr -name '*microjson*'Affected if microjson is installed and version is between 1.0 and 1.3 inclusive
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Check if gpsd is listening on port 2947/TCPRun 'netstat -tlnp | grep 2947' or 'ss -tlnp | grep 2947' to see if gpsd daemon is bound to the default gpsd portAffected if gpsd is actively listening on port 2947/TCP, which enables the vulnerable network path
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Verify Debian package versionsOn Debian systems, run 'dpkg -l | grep -E "(gpsd|microjson)"' to list installed package versionsAffected if Installed Debian packages are gpsd versions 2.90-3.17 or microjson versions 1.0-1.3, or system is Debian 8.0/9.0 with gpsd installed
You are affected if gpsd version 2.90-3.17 or microjson version 1.0-1.3 is installed AND the gpsd service is running and accessible on port 2947/TCP, allowing external traffic to reach the vulnerable component.
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 dataRestrict network access to Port 2947/TCP via firewall rules or network segmentation, and upgrade to patched versions of gpsd and microjson once available. For embedded systems, ensure input validation is enforced before JSON parsing.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 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 $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17937 — 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-2018-17937 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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