CVE-2018-10613
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 · uneditedMultiple variants of XML External Entity (XXE) attacks may be used to exfiltrate data from the host Windows platform in GE MDS PulseNET and MDS PulseNET Enterprise version 3.2.1 and prior.
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 confidenceGE MDS PulseNET and PulseNET Enterprise versions 3.2.1 and prior contain multiple XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability variants. Attackers can exploit vulnerable XML parsers by crafting malicious XML documents with external entity references to read sensitive files from the host Windows platform, potentially exposing configuration data, credentials, or other system information.
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<= 3.2.1CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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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Verify PulseNET installationLocate PulseNET installation directory on the Windows host. Common paths include C:\Program Files\GE MDS\PulseNET or C:\Program Files (x86)\GE MDS\PulseNET. Check for the presence of pulseNET.exe or related application files.Affected if PulseNET application files are found on the system
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Determine installed versionRight-click on pulseNET.exe, select Properties, then navigate to the Details tab to view the File Version. Alternatively, check the application's About or Help section within the GUI for the version number.Affected if The displayed version is 3.2.1 or any version prior to 3.2.1
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Identify XML parser configurationExamine the application configuration files (typically found in the PulseNET installation directory or in a config subfolder) for XML parser settings. Look for XML processing libraries or parser configuration files that control external entity handling.Affected if The application uses an XML parser and external entity processing is enabled (default state in unpatched versions)
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Confirm XXE attack surfaceReview application logs or network traffic if available to identify if the application accepts XML input from users or external sources. Check whether the application processes imported or uploaded XML files.Affected if The application accepts or processes XML input from external sources without disabling external entity processing
The environment is affected if GE MDS PulseNET or PulseNET Enterprise version 3.2.1 or prior is installed and the XML parser has external entity processing enabled, allowing crafted XML documents to read sensitive files from the host system.
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 version beyond 3.2.1 that patches the XXE vulnerabilities, or disable external entity processing in the application's XML parser configuration.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-10613 — 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-2018-10613 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data