CVE-2018-18435

Public Exploit

Description

KioWare Server version 4.9.6 and older installs by default to "C:\kioware_com" with weak folder permissions granting any user full permission "Everyone: (F)" to the contents of the directory and it's sub-folders. In addition, the program installs a service called "KWSService" which runs as "Localsystem", this will allow any user to escalate privileges to "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM" by substituting the service's binary with a malicious one.

Category

7.8
CVSS
Severity: High
CVSS 3.0 •
CVSS 2.0 •
EPSS 0.82% Top 30%
Vendor Advisory kioware.com Vendor Advisory kioware.com
Affected: n/a n/a
Published at:
Updated at:

References

Link Tags
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/151031/KioWare-Server-4.9.6-Privilege-Escalation.html exploit vdb entry third party advisory
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46093/ exploit vdb entry third party advisory
https://m.kioware.com/news/kioware-press-releases/kioware_server_security_patch_update patch vendor advisory
https://www.kioware.com/patch.aspx patch vendor advisory
https://github.com/active-labs/Advisories/blob/master/2019/ACTIVE-2019-002.md

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2018-18435?
CVE-2018-18435 has been scored as a high severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2018-18435?
To fix CVE-2018-18435, make sure you are using an up-to-date version of the affected component(s) by checking the vendor release notes. As for now, there are no other specific guidelines available.
Is CVE-2018-18435 being actively exploited in the wild?
It is possible that CVE-2018-18435 is being exploited or will be exploited in a near future based on public information. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~1% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.
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