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CVE-2018-20839

19
FAUCET Score

CVE-2018-20839 describes a vulnerability in systemd 242 that allows attackers to read cleartext passwords. This occurs due to mishandling of the KDGKBMODE check during a logout, potentially exposing passwords when watching a shutdown or switching virtual terminals (Ctrl-Alt-F1/F2). The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium), indicating a low attack complexity and requiring physical access or user interaction for a high impact on confidentiality. There is no evidence of active exploitation, public exploit code (Metasploit, Nuclei, ExploitDB), or significant community discussion or media coverage surrounding this CVE.

Impacted Technologies

VendorProductVersion(s)CPE
242CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:systemd_project:systemd:242:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
Range not provided by sourceCPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:o:netapp:cn1610_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Range not provided by sourceCPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:snapprotect:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Range not provided by sourceCPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:solidfire_\&_hci_management_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

CVSS Data

CVSS version used by this source: 3.1

4.3MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector
PHYSICAL
Attack Complexity
LOW
Privileges Required
NONE
User Interaction
REQUIRED
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact
HIGH
Integrity Impact
NONE
Availability Impact
NONE
Exploitability Score
0.7
Impact Score
3.6
CvssVersion
3.1

Exploit Intelligence

EPSS Score
2.48%
Probability of exploitation in next 30 days
EPSS Percentile
82.9%
Percentile rank of EPSS score among Peer Group
As of 2026-07-28
Model: v2026.06.15
This CVE's current EPSS score of 0.0248 is in the 100th percentile among its peer group of 72 CVEs.

Social Chatter

The average CVE in this peer group has 0.0 Twitter, 0.1 Reddit, 0.0 Bluesky, 0.0 Mastodon, and 0.0 GitHub mentions.

Media Mentions

No media coverage found for this CVE.

The average CVE in this peer group has 0.0 InfoSec Media, 0.0 Vendor Blog, and 0.0 Security Researcher mentions.

Remediation

Patch Available

Vendor Patches (2)

github_advisorypatch availablevia nvd_reference
View patch
redhatend of lifevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8Fixed in: systemd

Vendor Advisories (1)

redhatCVE-2018-20839Moderate

systemd: mishandling of the current keyboard mode check leading to passwords being disclosed in cleartext to attacker

May 17, 2019

References

bugs.launchpad.net / ubuntu/+source/systemd/+bug/1803993
Issue TrackingThird Party Advisory
github.com / systemd/systemd/commit/9725f1a10f80f5e0ae7d9b60547458622aeb322f
Patch
github.com / systemd/systemd/pull/12378
Issue TrackingPatch
lists.apache.org / thread.html/rf9fa47ab66495c78bb4120b0754dd9531ca2ff0430f6685ac9b07772%40%3Cdev.mina.apache.org%3E
Mailing List
security.netapp.com / advisory/ntap-20190530-0002
Third Party Advisory
securityfocus.com / bid/108389
Broken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry