# CVE-2018-18435: Privilege escalation in n/a

> Attackers can escalate privileges to SYSTEM by replacing the service binary due to weak default folder permissions in KioWare Server.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 17 Mar 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cv2p-jhjf-54gq

## What is CVE-2018-18435?

CVE-2018-18435 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 17 Mar 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official 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.

Weakness: CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-18435?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Kioware Kioware Server.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-18435?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-18435 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-18435 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-18435 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- KioWare Server Version 4.9.6 - Weak Folder Permissions Privilege Escalation (exploitdb)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-18435 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-18435 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 17 Mar 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-18435 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-2018-18435/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-18435/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-18435
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-18435
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-18435

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-18435/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.