CVE-2018-16743: An issue was discovered in mgetty before 1.2.1

Q: How do I fix CVE-2018-16743?

mgetty: upgrade to 1.2.1. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2018-16743 being exploited?

CVE-2018-16743 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2018-16743 affect?

CVE-2018-16743 affects mgetty. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). An issue was discovered in mgetty before 1.2.1. In contrib/next-login/login.c, the command-line parameter username is passed unsanitized to strcpy(), which can cause a stack-based buffer overflow.

Q: How urgent is CVE-2018-16743?

Priority 42/100. High severity; Public exploit reference

This month

HIGH 7.8UPGRADE

CVE-2018-16743 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.8) affecting mgetty. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

An issue was discovered in mgetty before 1.2.1. In contrib/next-login/login.c, the command-line parameter username is passed unsanitized to strcpy(), which can cause a stack-based buffer overflow.

Why this priority

High severity
Public exploit reference

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.8 (High)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.4% (top 61%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-787
Published	2018-09-13
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: mgetty project

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2018-09-13 16:29 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 01:44 UTCUpdated Record last modified

mgetty project mgetty UPGRADE

Affected: < 1.2.1

Fixed in: 1.2.1

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy mgetty || rpm -q mgetty || mgetty --version

2. UPGRADE to 1.2.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade mgetty

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade mgetty

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2018-16743?

mgetty: upgrade to 1.2.1. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2018-16743 being exploited?

CVE-2018-16743 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2018-16743 affect?

CVE-2018-16743 affects mgetty. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). An issue was discovered in mgetty before 1.2.1. In contrib/next-login/login.c, the command-line parameter username is passed unsanitized to strcpy(), which can cause a stack-based buffer overflow.

How urgent is CVE-2018-16743?

Priority 42/100. High severity; Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2019-1010190 MEDIUM 5.5 UPGRADE mgetty prior to 1.2.1 is affected by: out-of-bounds read
CVE-2019-1010189 MEDIUM 5.5 UPGRADE mgetty prior to version 1.2.1 is affected by: Infinite Loop
CVE-2018-16745 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE An issue was discovered in mgetty before 1.2.1
CVE-2018-16744 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE An issue was discovered in mgetty before 1.2.1
CVE-2018-16742 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE An issue was discovered in mgetty before 1.2.1

References

← Back to latest CVEs