CVE-2018-19518

What it is

University of Washington IMAP Toolkit 2007f on UNIX, as used in imap_open() in PHP and other products, launches an rsh command (by means of the imap_rimap function in c-client/imap4r1.c and the tcp_aopen function in osdep/unix/tcp_unix.c) without preventing argument injection, which might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands if the IMAP server name is untrusted input (e.g., entered by a user of a web application) and if rsh has been replaced by a program with different argument semantics. For example, if rsh is a link to ssh (as seen on Debian and Ubuntu systems), then the attack can use an IMAP server name containing a "-oProxyCommand" argument.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network with a low-privilege account. High risk of data exposure, data tampering, service disruption.

Exploit odds

96.1% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS). Higher than most.

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2018-11-25 00:00 UTC ReservedThe CVE id was reserved by its CNA
2. 2018-11-25 10:29 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
3. 2026-06-17 01:49 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 96.1% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 7.5 HIGH (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2018-11-25 10:29 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 01:49 UTC

Exploit probability

96.1% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-88

Record status

Modified

Affected

• PHP ≤ 5.6.38
• PHP ≤ 7.0.32
• PHP ≤ 7.1.24
• PHP ≤ 7.2.12
• Debian Linux 8.0
• Debian Linux 9.0
• uw-imap Project uw-imap 2007f
• Canonical Ubuntu Linux 16.04

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 7.5

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

High

Privileges needed

Low

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2018-19518.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2018-19518. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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