CVE-2018-16858: Path Traversal

Q: What is CVE-2018-16858?

CVE-2018-16858 is a vulnerability in LibreOffice that allows for a directory traversal attack, potentially leading to the execution of arbitrary macros.

Q: How can this vulnerability be exploited?

This vulnerability can be exploited by crafting a document that, when opened by LibreOffice, executes a Python method from a script in a malicious document.

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2018-16858?

The severity of CVE-2018-16858 is rated as critical with a CVSS score of 9.8.

Q: Which versions of LibreOffice are affected by CVE-2018-16858?

LibreOffice versions before 6.0.7 and 6.1.3 are affected by CVE-2018-16858.

Q: How can I mitigate the vulnerability in LibreOffice?

To mitigate the vulnerability, it is recommended to update to LibreOffice versions 6.0.7 or 6.1.3, depending on the version in use.

Published Nov 14, 2018

Updated

A flaw was found in libreoffice. If a document does not contain macros/scripts, but references a pre-installed macro/script execution of those macros/scripts, execution is allowed without warning bypassing normal behavior.

Other sources

It was found that libreoffice before versions 6.0.7 and 6.1.3 was vulnerable to a directory traversal attack which could be used to execute arbitrary macros bundled with a document. An attacker could craft a document, which when opened by LibreOffice, would execute a Python method from a script in any arbitrary file system location, specified relative to the LibreOffice install location.

— Launchpad

Affected Software

5 affected componentsFixes available

redhat/libreoffice<6.0.7

6.0.7

redhat/libreoffice<6.1.3

6.1.3

LibreOffice Libreoffice<6.0.7

LibreOffice Libreoffice>=6.1.0<6.1.3

debian/libreoffice

1:7.0.4-4+deb11u101:7.0.4-4+deb11u134:7.4.7-1+deb12u104:7.4.7-1+deb12u84:25.2.3-2+deb13u34:26.2.0-14:26.2.1-1

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

Upgrade
Upgrade redhat/libreoffice to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 6.0.7
Upgrade
Upgrade redhat/libreoffice to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 6.1.3
Upgrade
Upgrade debian/libreoffice to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 1:7.0.4-4+deb11u10Fixed in 1:7.0.4-4+deb11u13Fixed in 4:7.4.7-1+deb12u10Fixed in 4:7.4.7-1+deb12u8Fixed in 4:25.2.3-2+deb13u3Fixed in 4:26.2.0-1Fixed in 4:26.2.1-1
Upgrade
Upgrade LibreOffice 6.0 branch to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 6.0.7
Upgrade
Upgrade LibreOffice 6.1 branch to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 6.1.3

Event History

Mar 25, 2019

CVE Published

via MITRE·05:43 PM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·05:43 PM

DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Data Sourced

via NVD·06:29 PM

DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16858?

CVE-2018-16858 is a vulnerability in LibreOffice that allows for a directory traversal attack, potentially leading to the execution of arbitrary macros.

How can this vulnerability be exploited?