# CVE-2018-12590: Code injection in n/a

> An attacker with admin access can exploit a format string vulnerability in the CLI to execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges beyond intended limits.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Jun 2018
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8j4m-fffv-qfc2

## What is CVE-2018-12590?

CVE-2018-12590 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Jun 2018. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Ubiquiti Networks EdgeSwitch version 1.7.3 and prior suffer from an externally controlled format-string vulnerability due to lack of protection on the admin CLI, leading to code execution and privilege escalation greater than administrators themselves are allowed. An attacker with access to an admin account could escape the restricted CLI and execute arbitrary code.

Weakness: CWE-134 (Use of Externally-Controlled Format String)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-12590?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Ui Edgeswitch Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-12590?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-12590 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-12590 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-12590 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2019-5446](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5446/): Command injection in EdgeMAX (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2020-8232](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8232/): Information disclosure in EdgeSwitch firmware v1.9.0 and prior (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2019-5445](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5445/): Denial of service in EdgeMAX (medium 4.9)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-12590 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-12590 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Jun 2018. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-12590 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12590/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12590/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-12590
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12590
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-12590

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12590/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.