CVE-2018-0438 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2018-0438
Vulnerability Scoring

7.8
/10
Very High Risk

Highly exploitable, CVE-2018-0438 poses a critical security risk that could lead to severe breaches.

Attack Complexity Details

  • Attack Complexity: Low
    Exploits can be performed without significant complexity or special conditions.
  • Attack Vector: Local
    Vulnerability requires local system access.
  • Privileges Required: Low
    Some privileges are necessary to exploit the vulnerability.
  • Scope: Unchanged
    Exploit remains within the originally vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: None
    No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2018-0438 Details

Status: Modified

Last updated: 🕞 21 Nov 2024, 03:38 UTC
Originally published on: 🕑 05 Oct 2018, 14:29 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 2238 days

CVSS Release: version 3

CVSS3 Source

nvd@nist.gov

CVSS3 Type

Primary

CVSS3 Vector

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

CVE-2018-0438 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2018-0438: A vulnerability in the Cisco Umbrella Enterprise Roaming Client (ERC) could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges to Administrator. To exploit the vulnerability, the attacker must authenticate with valid local user credentials. This vulnerability is due to improper implementation of file system permissions, which could allow non-administrative users to place files within restricted directories. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by placing an executable file within the restricted directory, which when executed by the ERC client, would run with Administrator privileges.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2018-0438

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2018-0438 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2018-0438

CVE-2018-0438 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.

Understanding AC and PR

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2018-0438, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2018-0438, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

  • Confidentiality: High
    Exploiting CVE-2018-0438 can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, severely compromising data privacy.
  • Integrity: High
    CVE-2018-0438 could allow unauthorized modifications to data, potentially affecting system reliability and trust.
  • Availability: High
    CVE-2018-0438 can disrupt system operations, potentially causing complete denial of service (DoS).

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.

EPSS Score: 0.042% (probability of exploit)

EPSS Percentile: 5.02% (lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 94.98% of others.

CVE-2018-0438 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-269

CAPEC Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification

  • Privilege Abuse CAPEC-122 An adversary is able to exploit features of the target that should be reserved for privileged users or administrators but are exposed to use by lower or non-privileged accounts. Access to sensitive information and functionality must be controlled to ensure that only authorized users are able to access these resources.
  • Privilege Escalation CAPEC-233 An adversary exploits a weakness enabling them to elevate their privilege and perform an action that they are not supposed to be authorized to perform.
  • Restful Privilege Elevation CAPEC-58 An adversary identifies a Rest HTTP (Get, Put, Delete) style permission method allowing them to perform various malicious actions upon server data due to lack of access control mechanisms implemented within the application service accepting HTTP messages.

Vulnerable Configurations

  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:1.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:1.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:1.7.269:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:1.7.269:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.168:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.168:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.213:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.213:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.255:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.255:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.331:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.331:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.338:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.338:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.341:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.0.341:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.1.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.1.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.1.108:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.1.108:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.1.112:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.1.112:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.1.118:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:umbrella_enterprise_roaming_client:2.1.118:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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