CVE-2018-5189 in WinDriver
Summary
by MITRE
Race condition in Jungo Windriver 12.5.1 allows local users to cause a denial of service (buffer overflow) or gain system privileges by flipping pool buffer size, aka a "double fetch" vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/29/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5189 represents a critical race condition flaw within Jungo Windriver version 12.5.1 that exposes systems to both denial of service and privilege escalation attacks. This issue stems from improper handling of pool buffer management during concurrent access scenarios, creating exploitable conditions that adversaries can leverage to compromise system integrity. The vulnerability specifically manifests when local users manipulate pool buffer size parameters, enabling them to trigger buffer overflow conditions that can result in system crashes or unauthorized privilege elevation.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in what cybersecurity researchers classify as a double fetch condition, which maps directly to CWE-367 - Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerability. In this scenario, the system performs a check on buffer pool parameters and subsequently uses those same parameters without revalidating the state, creating a window where an attacker can modify the underlying data between the check and use operations. The flaw occurs within the kernel-level memory management subsystem of Jungo Windriver, where pool buffer size manipulation allows attackers to bypass normal buffer boundary checks and overwrite adjacent memory regions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to system availability and security integrity. Local attackers can exploit the buffer overflow conditions to cause system crashes and denial of service conditions, effectively rendering affected systems unusable. More critically, the privilege escalation potential allows attackers to gain elevated system privileges, potentially enabling them to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level permissions. This dual nature makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged for both disruptive attacks and persistent system compromise, with potential implications for data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The exploitation of CVE-2018-5189 aligns with several tactics outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly focusing on privilege escalation and denial of service techniques. Attackers can employ this vulnerability as part of broader exploitation chains, using the initial denial of service capability to create conditions for more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability's presence in a widely used driver framework means that organizations running affected systems face elevated risk of exploitation, especially in environments where local access is possible or where attackers can gain initial footholds through other attack vectors. Organizations should prioritize patching and monitoring for this vulnerability, as the window of opportunity for exploitation remains significant given the nature of race conditions in concurrent systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-5189 should focus on immediate patch application from Jungo Windriver, as the vendor has released updates addressing the double fetch vulnerability. System administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring for unusual buffer allocation patterns and memory access anomalies that could indicate exploitation attempts. Additional protective measures include restricting local user access where possible, implementing kernel-level security controls, and conducting regular vulnerability assessments targeting driver frameworks. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper race condition handling in kernel code and demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws can result in significant security implications, particularly in systems where multiple processes or threads interact with shared memory resources.