CVE-2018-1196

Spring Boot supports an embedded launch script that can be used to easily run the application as a systemd or init.d linux service. The script included with Spring Boot 1.5.9 and earlier and 2.0.0.M1 through 2.0.0.M7 is susceptible to a symlink attack which allows the "run_user" to overwrite and take ownership of any file on the same system. In order to instigate the attack, the application must be installed as a service and the "run_user" requires shell access to the server. Spring Boot application that are not installed as a service, or are not using the embedded launch script are not susceptible.

Published: 2018-03-19 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2018-1196 is rated Moderate Risk (48/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.60%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2018-1196

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-11-21 0.30% 0.60% +0.30%
2 2025-11-18 0.61% 0.30% -0.30%
3 2025-04-18 — 0.61% —

Full EPSS history (10 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2018-1196

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.9 3.0 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 2.2 3.6 [email protected]
4.3 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:N)
No availability impact.
 8.6 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2018-1196

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2018-1196

GHSA-xx65-cc7g-9pfp · Severity: medium · Ecosystem: maven — Moderate severity vulnerability that affects org.springframework.boot:spring-boot

OS Trackers for CVE-2018-1196

vendor priority summary link
redhat medium — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-1196

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2018-1196

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
vmware spring_boot <= 1.5.9 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_boot:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_boot 2.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_boot:2.0.0:milestone1:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_boot 2.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_boot:2.0.0:milestone2:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_boot 2.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_boot:2.0.0:milestone3:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_boot 2.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_boot:2.0.0:milestone4:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_boot 2.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_boot:2.0.0:milestone5:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_boot 2.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_boot:2.0.0:milestone6:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_boot 2.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_boot:2.0.0:milestone7:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2018-1196

cvelogic Threat Intelligence