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linux — security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVAdvisory ID: DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281

Since Linux kernel version 3.2, the mremap() syscall performs TLB flushes after dropping pagetable locks. If a syscall such as ftruncate() removes entries from the pagetables of a task that is in the middle of mremap(), a stale TLB entry can remain for a short time that permits access to a physical page after it has been released back to the page allocator and reused. This is fixed in the following kernel versions: 4.9.135, 4.14.78, 4.18.16, 4.19.

Products
linux
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
4.18.20-1
CVEs
CVE-2018-18281
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
1 Nov 2026, 00:09 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281

core-osv · Original source

Published 30 Oct 2018, 18:29 UTC

Since Linux kernel version 3.2, the mremap() syscall performs TLB flushes after dropping pagetable locks. If a syscall such as ftruncate() removes entries from the pagetables of a task that is in the middle of mremap(), a stale TLB entry can remain for a short time that permits access to a physical page after it has been released back to the page allocator and reused. This is fixed in the following kernel versions: 4.9.135, 4.14.78, 4.18.16, 4.19.

osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281

linux

Fixed versions: 4.18.20-1

linux

Fixed versions: 4.18.20-1

linux

Fixed versions: 4.18.20-1

Complete source record
{
  "id": "cd95b465139f12c626d8747a0d66d434c76791cdf1a67fdbd6f11a4fe356c3b9",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281",
    "summary": "Since Linux kernel version 3.2, the mremap() syscall performs TLB flushes after dropping pagetable locks. If a syscall such as ftruncate() removes entries from the pagetables of a task that is in the middle of mremap(), a stale TLB entry can remain for a short time that permits access to a physical page after it has been released back to the page allocator and reused. This is fixed in the following kernel versions: 4.9.135, 4.14.78, 4.18.16, 4.19.",
    "evidence": "osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "linux",
          "evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "4.18.20-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      },
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "linux",
          "evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "4.18.20-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      },
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "linux",
          "evidence": "/affected/2/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "4.18.20-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/2/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      }
    ],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
      "id": "DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281",
      "aliases": [
        "DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "4.18.20-1"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "linux",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/linux?arch=source&distro=bookworm",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:12"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "not yet assigned"
          }
        },
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "4.18.20-1"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "linux",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/linux?arch=source&distro=trixie",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:13"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "not yet assigned"
          }
        },
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "4.18.20-1"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "linux",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/linux?arch=source&distro=forky",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:14"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2018-18281.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "not yet assigned"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-23T18:03:02.204670878Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "upstream": [
        "CVE-2018-18281"
      ],
      "references": [
        "https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2018-18281"
      ]
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2018-18281",
        "evidence": "/upstream"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 420186,
  "published_at": "2018-10-30T18:29:00.737+00:00"
}