# CVE-2018-18995: Missing authorization in ABB GATE-E1 and GATE-E2

> Unauthenticated attackers can access administrative interfaces on ABB PLC gateways to read or modify registers and reset devices.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Jan 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-478p-r52m-3xfc

## What is CVE-2018-18995?

CVE-2018-18995 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in ABB GATE-E1 and GATE-E2, published on 3 Jan 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Pluto Safety PLC Gateway Ethernet devices ABB GATE-E1 and GATE-E2 all versions do not allow authentication to be configured on administrative telnet or web interfaces, which could enable various effects vectors, including conducting device resets, reading or modifying registers, and changing configuration settings such as IP addresses.

Weakness: CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-18995?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Abb Gate-E1 Firmware, Abb Gate-E2 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-18995?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-18995 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-18995 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-18995 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in ABB GATE-E1 and GATE-E2

- [CVE-2018-18997](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-18997/): Cross-site scripting in ABB GATE-E1 and GATE-E2 (medium 6.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-18995 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-18995 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in ABB GATE-E1 and GATE-E2, published on 3 Jan 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-18995 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: ABB GATE-E1 and GATE-E2. 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-2018-18995/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-18995/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-18995
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-18995
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-18995

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-18995/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.