---
title: "CVE-2018-20483\n    | Ubuntu"
description: Ubuntu is an open source software operating system that runs from the
  desktop, to the cloud, to all your internet connected things.
url: https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-20483?format=md
keywords: index, follow
---

# CVE-2018-20483

Publication date 26 December 2018

Last updated 25 August 2025

---

Ubuntu priority

**Low**

[Why this priority?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#priority )

## Cvss 3 Severity Score

**7.8 · High**

[Score breakdown](https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-20483?format=md#impact-score)

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## Description

set\_file\_metadata in xattr.c in GNU Wget before 1.20.1 stores a file's
origin URL in the user.xdg.origin.url metadata attribute of the extended
attributes of the downloaded file, which allows local users to obtain
sensitive information (e.g., credentials contained in the URL) by reading
this attribute, as demonstrated by getfattr. This also applies to Referer
information in the user.xdg.referrer.url metadata attribute. According to
2016-07-22 in the Wget ChangeLog, user.xdg.origin.url was partially based
on the behavior of fwrite\_xattr in tool\_xattr.c in curl.

[Read the notes from the security team](https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-20483?format=md#notes)

## Status

Show unmaintained releases

| Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| wget | 18.10 cosmic | Fixed 1.19.5-1ubuntu1.1 |
| 18.04 LTS bionic | Fixed 1.19.4-1ubuntu2.2 |
| 16.04 LTS xenial | Not affected |
| 14.04 LTS trusty | Not affected |

---

* [How can I get the fixes?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#security)
* [What do statuses mean?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#statuses)
* [Patch details](https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-20483?format=md#patch-details)

## Notes

---

### [mdeslaur](https://launchpad.net/~mdeslaur)

code was introduced in 1.19

### Patch details

For informational purposes only. We recommend not to cherry-pick updates. [How can I get the fixes?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#security)

| Package | Patch details |
| --- | --- |
| wget | * Upstream:   [?id=c12](http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/wget.git/commit/?id=c125d24762962d91050d925fbbd9e6f30b2302f8) * Upstream:   [?id=3cd](http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/wget.git/commit/?id=3cdfb594cf75f11cdbb9702ac5e856c332ccacfa) |

## Severity score breakdown

CVSS version:
CVSS v3.0

**Base score**

7.8 · High

* Base metrics

  | Parameter | Value |
  | --- | --- |
  | Attack vector | Local |
  | Attack complexity | Low |
  | Privileges required | Low |
  | User interaction | None |
  | Scope | Unchanged |
  | Confidentiality impact | High |
  | Integrity impact | High |
  | Availability impact | High |
* Scores

  | Parameter | Value |
  | --- | --- |
  | Base score | 7.8 · High |
  | Exploitability score | - |
  | Impact score | - |

**Vector:** CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

## References

* [MITRE](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2018-20483)
* [NVD](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-20483)
* [Launchpad](https://launchpad.net/bugs/cve/CVE-2018-20483)
* [Debian](https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2018-20483)

### Related Ubuntu Security Notices (USN)

+ [USN-3943-1](https://usn.ubuntu.com/USN-3943-1)
+ Wget vulnerabilities
+ 8 April 2019

### Other references

* <https://twitter.com/marcan42/status/1077676739877232640>
* <http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/wget.git/tree/NEWS>
* <https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-20483>