# CVE-2018-20298: XML external entity in n/a

> Remote attackers can read arbitrary files and steal NTLMv2 hashes by tricking users into connecting to a malicious S3 server.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 19 Dec 2018
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-v2h5-c2mm-jm6r

## What is CVE-2018-20298?

CVE-2018-20298 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 19 Dec 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

S3 Browser before 8.1.5 contains an XML external entity (XXE) vulnerability, allowing remote attackers to read arbitrary files and obtain NTLMv2 hash values by tricking a user into connecting to a malicious server via the S3 protocol.

Weakness: CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-20298?

It affects 1 product.


Products: S3browser S3 Browser.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-20298?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-20298 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-20298 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-20298 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2024-37865](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-37865/): Information disclosure in n/a (medium 5.9)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-20298 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-20298 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 19 Dec 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-20298 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-2018-20298/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-20298/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-20298
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-20298
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-20298

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-20298/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.