Skip to main content
No exploitation reportedFix available

CVE-2018-20969

No exploitation reported by the sources we read.

  • Published2019-08-16
  • WeaknessCWE-78

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

do_ed_script in pch.c in GNU patch through 2.7.6 does not block strings beginning with a ! character. NOTE: this is the same commit as for CVE-2019-13638, but the ! syntax is specific to ed, and is unrelated to a shell metacharacter.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2019-08-1604:15CVE publishedNVD

Versions per branch

NVD
Gnu patch
BranchAffectedFixed in
2.7≤ 2.7.6no fix published

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Distribution builds and vendor advisories

Packages from OSV.dev and products from the vendors' CSAF advisories.

version not verifiedVersions not verified: read as OSV.dev and the vendors publish them, not checked against each vendor's release list.

Packages

  • patchWolfiall versions · fixed in 2.7.6-r3
  • patchUbuntu:Pro:14.04:LTSall versions · fixed in 2.7.1-4ubuntu2.4+esm1
  • patchUbuntu:18.04:LTSall versions · fixed in 2.7.6-2ubuntu1.1
  • patchUbuntu:16.04:LTSall versions · fixed in 2.7.5-1ubuntu0.16.04.2
  • patchRed Hat:rhel_tus:7.4::serverall versions · fixed in 0:2.7.1-11.el7_4and 1 other package
  • patchRed Hat:rhel_eus:7.6::serverall versions · fixed in 0:2.7.1-11.el7_6and 1 other package
  • patchRed Hat:rhel_eus:7.6::computenodeall versions · fixed in 0:2.7.1-11.el7_6and 1 other package
  • patchRed Hat:rhel_eus:7.5::serverall versions · fixed in 0:2.7.1-11.el7_5and 1 other package

35 more package ranges on OSV.dev

Vendor advisories

  • CVE-2018-20969 Red Hat Product Security71 products fixed · 1 known affected

    patch: do_ed_script in pch.c does not block strings beginning with a ! character

    patch.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5

  • RHSA-2019:4061 Red Hat Product Security11 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: patch security update

  • RHSA-2019:3758 Red Hat Product Security17 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: patch security update

  • RHSA-2019:3757 Red Hat Product Security12 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: patch security update

  • RHSA-2019:2964 Red Hat Product Security18 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: patch security update

  • RHSA-2019:2798 Red Hat Product Security13 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: patch security update

Full record on NVD

Fix

  1. Vendor fix Red Hat Product Security RHSA-2019:4061 · 11 productsFor details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258
  2. No fix planned, says the vendor Red Hat Product Security CVE-2018-20969 · 1 productOut of support scope

Advisories and patches

Detection

Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof of concept
Metasploit modules
none listed
Metasploit Framework

Sources

Identifiers

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published
2019-08-16
Last Modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Modified
GitHub Advisory
GHSA-g5pm-269j-95rr

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-20969?

do_ed_script in pch.c in GNU patch through 2.7.6 does not block strings beginning with a ! character. NOTE: this is the same commit as for CVE-2019-13638, but the ! syntax is specific to ed, and is unrelated to a shell metacharacter.

Is CVE-2018-20969 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2018-20969 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 2.7% on 2026-11-08, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2018-20969?

CVE-2018-20969 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Running patch? Hear about its next vulnerability

Surveillance reads the versions in your stack — a domain, a lockfile or a list — checks each CVE against the ranges its sources publish, and alerts you when one you run is exploited or enters CISA KEV. A version it cannot read stays « version not verified ».

Get alerts for this productCISA KEV additions, November 2026Search CVEs

No credit card required · No monthly cap on website lookups · 250 API requests/month

Go further

Related vulnerabilities

Same product first, then the same vendor advisory and the same publication week.

Back to CVE Database

Sources for this record