CVE-2018-20483
7.8 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2018-20483 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting gnu wget. It was published on December 26, 2018 and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
set_file_metadata in xattr.c in GNU Wget before 1.20.1 stores a file's origin URL in the user.xdg.origin.url metadata attribute of the extended attributes of the downloaded file, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information (e.g., credentials contained in the URL) by reading this attribute, as demonstrated by getfattr. This also applies to Referer information in the user.xdg.referrer.url metadata attribute. According to 2016-07-22 in the Wget ChangeLog, user.xdg.origin.url was partially based on the behavior of fwrite_xattr in tool_xattr.c in curl.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from gnu. Update wget to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| gnu | wget | >= 0, < 1.20.1 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2018-20483?
CVE-2018-20483 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting gnu wget. It was published on December 26, 2018 and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2018-20483?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2018-20483?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from gnu. Update wget to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2018-20483?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2018-20483 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
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