CVE-2018-0542
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedDirectory traversal vulnerability in WebProxy version 1.7.8 allows an attacker to read arbitrary files via unspecified vectors.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability in WebProxy version 1.7.8 allows unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary files on the host system by manipulating file path inputs, enabling information disclosure of sensitive system files.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 1.7.8CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify WebProxy installationLocate WebProxy on the system - check for the webproxy executable, service, or web application files in common installation directories such as /usr/local/bin, /opt, or the application's web root directoryAffected if WebProxy version 1.7.8 is found installed on the system
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Verify WebProxy versionRun 'webproxy --version' or check the version information in the application's metadata files, README, or about page accessible via the web interfaceAffected if The installed version is exactly 1.7.8
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Confirm WebProxy service is runningCheck if the WebProxy service is active and listening on its configured port (typically port 8080 or 3128 for proxy services, or 80/443 for web proxy features) using commands like 'netstat -tulpn' or 'ss -tulpn'Affected if The WebProxy service is running and accessible on the network
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Test for directory traversal vulnerabilitySend an HTTP request to the WebProxy interface with a manipulated path such as '../etc/passwd' or '..\..\windows\system32\config\sam' as a file path parameter (the exact parameter name varies by implementation - check proxy or file fetch endpoints)Affected if The application returns the contents of system files outside the intended web root or proxy directory, confirming the directory traversal is exploitable
A system is affected if WebProxy version 1.7.8 is installed, the service is running and accessible, and the directory traversal vulnerability can be demonstrated by successfully retrieving arbitrary system files through manipulated path parameters.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade to a patched version of WebProxy. If no patch is available, implement strict input validation and whitelisting for all file path parameters, and restrict the application's file access permissions to minimum necessary.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-0542 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-0542 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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