Sensu CoreApplication · Sensu

CVE-2018-1000209

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-07-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.4.2-3 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
Sensu, Inc. Sensu Core version Before version 1.4.2-3 contains a Insecure Permissions vulnerability in Sensu Core on Windows platforms that can result in Unprivileged users may execute code in context of Sensu service account. This attack appear to be exploitable via Unprivileged user may place an arbitrary DLL in the c:\opt\sensu\embedded\bin directory in order to exploit standard Windows DLL load order behavior. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in 1.4.2-3 and later.

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 · high confidence

Sensu Core before version 1.4.2-3 on Windows had insecure file permissions allowing unprivileged users to write to the c:\opt\sensu\embedded\bin directory. Attackers could place a malicious DLL there to exploit Windows DLL load order behavior, resulting in code execution with the privileges of the Sensu service account.

MitigationUpgrade Sensu Core to version 1.4.2-3 or later. As a compensating control, restrict write permissions on c:\opt\sensu\embedded\bin to only privileged administrators.

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
Sensu CoreApplication
Affected:< 1.4.2-3

CVSS 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Windows operating system
    Confirm the system is running Windows (this vulnerability only affects Sensu Core on Windows). Use 'systeminfo' command or check OS via 'winver' or PowerShell 'Get-ComputerInfo'
    Affected if System is not running Windows - this vulnerability does not apply to Linux/macOS versions of Sensu Core
  2. Check installed Sensu Core version
    Run 'sensu-backend -v' or 'sensu-client -v' to display the installed Sensu version. Alternatively, check the Sensu installation directory for version information or use the package manager (chocolatey, etc.) to query the installed package version
    Affected if Version is lower than 1.4.2-3 (e.g., 1.4.1, 1.4.0, earlier versions)
  3. Verify vulnerable directory exists
    Check if the path c:\opt\sensu\embedded\bin exists on the system using 'Test-Path c:\opt\sensu\embedded\bin' in PowerShell or 'dir c:\opt\sensu\embedded\bin' in Command Prompt
    Affected if Directory exists - this is the vulnerable path where unprivileged write access could allow DLL injection
  4. Inspect permissions on the vulnerable directory
    Right-click the c:\opt\sensu\embedded\bin folder, go to Properties > Security tab, or run 'icacls c:\opt\sensu\embedded\bin' to list ACLs. Verify which users/groups have Write or Create Files permissions
    Affected if Non-privileged users (such as Users group,Authenticated Users, or specific non-admin accounts) have Write or Create permissions to this directory - this enables the DLL injection attack vector

A user is affected if running Sensu Core on Windows with version lower than 1.4.2-3 AND the c:\opt\sensu\embedded\bin directory exists with write permissions accessible to unprivileged users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.4.2-3 or later
Fixed in 1.4.2-3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Sensu Core to version 1.4.2-3 or later. As a compensating control, restrict write permissions on c:\opt\sensu\embedded\bin to only privileged administrators.

Fix this in Sensu Core Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-1000209 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data