CVE-2018-12020
HIGHEPSS 95th pctlDescription
mainproc.c in GnuPG before 2.2.8 mishandles the original filename during decryption and verification actions, which allows remote attackers to spoof the output that GnuPG sends on file descriptor 2 to other programs that use the "--status-fd 2" option. For example, the OpenPGP data might represent an original filename that contains line feed characters in conjunction with GOODSIG or VALIDSIG status codes.
How to fix
This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.
This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.
This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.
This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.
This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.
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Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
High risk: more likely to be exploited than 95% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-706 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-24813 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2020-15505 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2021-40539 | Critical | 9.8 | 99% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2024-27292 | High | 7.5 | 69% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2021-40856 | High | 7.5 | 50% | - | - |
| CVE-2021-24122 | Medium | 5.9 | 23% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2018-12020?
Published advisories record a fix for 9 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2018-12020 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2018-12020 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 8.5% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 95% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2018-12020?
CVE-2018-12020 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2018-12020 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for gnupg2 (Amazon), gnupg2-debuginfo (Amazon), gnupg2-smime (Amazon), gnupg1 (Debian), and 5 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-06-17.