CVE-2018-14618: curl before version 7.61.1 is vulnerable to a buffer overrun in the NTLM authentication code.

curl before version 7.61.1 is vulnerable to a buffer overrun in the NTLM authentication code.

curl before version 7.61.1 is vulnerable to a buffer overrun in the NTLM authentication code. The internal function Curl_ntlm_core_mk_nt_hash multiplies the length of the password by two (SUM) to figure out how large temporary storage area to allocate from the heap. The length value is then subsequently used to iterate over the password and generate output into the allocated storage buffer. On systems with a 32 bit size_t, the math to calculate SUM triggers an integer overflow when the password length exceeds 2GB (2^31 bytes). This integer overflow usually causes a very small buffer to actually get allocated instead of the intended very huge one, making the use of that buffer end up in a heap buffer overflow. (This bug is almost identical to CVE-2017-8816.)

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by Red Hat

What it means for a small business

If your business uses curl, install the vendor's update. If you're not sure whether you use it, ask whoever manages your computers.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 11%, top 4% of all CVEs. That’s high: fix it ahead of everything else on the list. Scored November 5, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

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Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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