CVE-2018-6552: Apport does not properly handle crashes originating from a PID namespace allowing local users to create certai

Routine

HIGH 7.8DOWNGRADE

CVE-2018-6552 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.8) affecting apport. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Apport does not properly handle crashes originating from a PID namespace allowing local users to create certain files as root which an attacker could leverage to perform a denial of service via resource exhaustion, possibly gain root privileges, or escape from containers. The is_same_ns() function returns True when /proc/<global pid>/ does not exist in order to indicate that the crash should be handled in the global namespace rather than inside o

Why this priority

High severity

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

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 67%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2018-05-31
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Canonical Ltd. · Vendor: apport project

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

2018-05-31 22:29 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 02:02 UTCUpdated Record last modified

apport project apport DOWNGRADE

Affected: 2.14.1 · 2.20.9 · 2.20.7 · 2.20.1

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2.14.1

1. Check installed version

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

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 2.14.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison apport sudo apt install apport=<VERSION_BEFORE_2.14.1> sudo apt-mark hold apport

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list apport sudo dnf downgrade apport-<VERSION_BEFORE_2.14.1> sudo dnf versionlock add apport

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

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-2018-6552?

apport: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2018-6552 being exploited?

CVE-2018-6552 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-2018-6552 affect?

CVE-2018-6552 affects apport. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). Apport does not properly handle crashes originating from a PID namespace allowing local users to create certain files as root which an attacker could leverage to perform a denial of service via resource exhaustion, possibly gain root privil

How urgent is CVE-2018-6552?

Priority 36/100. High severity

Related CVEs

CVE-2025-5467 LOW 3.3 UPGRADE It was discovered that process_crash() in data/apport in Canonical's Apport crash reporting tool may create cr
CVE-2025-5054 MEDIUM 4.7 UPGRADE MITIGATE Race condition in Canonical apport up to and including 2.32.0 allows a local attacker to leak sensitive inform
CVE-2023-1326 HIGH 7.7 UPGRADE MITIGATE A privilege escalation attack was found in apport-cli 2.26.0 and earlier which is similar to CVE-2023-26604
CVE-2022-28653 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE Users can consume unlimited disk space in /var/crash
CVE-2022-1242 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE MITIGATE Apport can be tricked into connecting to arbitrary sockets as the root user

References

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