CVE-2018-25221
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 · uneditedEChat Server 3.1 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in the chat.ghp endpoint that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by supplying an oversized username parameter. Attackers can send a GET request to chat.ghp with a malicious username value containing shellcode and ROP gadgets to achieve code execution in the application context.
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 overflow vulnerability in EChat Server 3.1's chat.ghp endpoint allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending a GET request with an oversized username parameter containing shellcode and ROP gadgets, enabling code execution in the application context.
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<= 3.1CVSS 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:3.1/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.
-
Identify if EChat Server is installedCheck your system for the presence of EChat Server (also known as Easy Chat Server) by searching for executable files or service entries named 'EChat', 'echatserver', or 'EasyChat'. Review installed programs list or running services.Affected if EChat Server or Easy Chat Server is present on the system
-
Determine installed versionLocate the main EChat Server executable or check the application properties/version information. Common locations include the installation directory (often under Program Files). Identify the exact version number from the executable metadata or version resource.Affected if The installed version is 3.1 or any version lower than 3.1 (e.g., 3.0, 2.x, 1.x)
-
Verify chat.ghp endpoint is exposedCheck your web server configuration or firewall rules to determine if the chat.ghp script/endpoint is accessible over the network. This endpoint is typically part of the web interface served by EChat Server.Affected if The chat.ghp endpoint is accessible externally or internally via HTTP/HTTPS requests
-
Confirm username parameter handling is activeReview application logs or network traffic to verify that GET requests to the chat.ghp endpoint are being processed and the username parameter is being accepted and handled by the application.Affected if The application is actively processing GET requests containing a username parameter at the chat.ghp endpoint
You are affected if EChat Server version 3.1 or lower is installed and the chat.ghp endpoint with username parameter handling is exposed and active.
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 dataImplement strict input validation with bounds checking on the username parameter and replace unsafe string handling functions with safe alternatives to prevent buffer overflow exploitation.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-25221 — 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-2018-25221 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