CVE-2018-11455
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 · uneditedA vulnerability has been identified in Automation License Manager 5 (All versions < 5.3.4.4), Automation License Manager 6 (All versions < 6.0.1). A directory traversal vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to move arbitrary files, which can result in code execution, compromising confidentiality, integrity and availability of the system. Successful exploitation requires a network connection to the affected device. The attacker does not need privileges or special conditions of the system, but user interaction is required.
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 confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability in Siemens Automation License Manager versions 5 (<5.3.4.4) and 6 (<6.0.1) allows remote attackers to move arbitrary files on the system via specially crafted network requests, potentially enabling code execution.
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> 5.0, < 5.3.4.4>= 6.0, < 6.0.1CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Siemens Automation License Manager is installedCheck for the presence of the Automation License Manager service or executable on the system. Look for processes named 'ALM' or check installed programs for Siemens Automation License Manager.Affected if The software is installed and running on the system.
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Determine the installed version of Automation License ManagerOpen the Automation License Manager interface and navigate to Help > About, or check the version information in the installation directory. The version will be listed as either 5.x or 6.x.Affected if The version is 5.x between 5.0 and 5.3.4.4 exclusive, or 6.x between 6.0.0 and 6.0.1 exclusive.
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Verify network exposure of the license manager serviceCheck if the Automation License Manager service is listening on network ports (typically TCP ports 4410, 4411, or similar). Use 'netstat -an' or a network scanner to identify open ports associated with the ALM service.Affected if The ALM service is accessible over the network on open ports.
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Review network request logs for suspicious patternsExamine ALM service logs for directory traversal patterns in network requests, such as sequences containing '../' or absolute paths like '/windows/system32/'. Logs are typically stored in the ALM installation directory or Windows Event Viewer.Affected if Log entries show malformed requests containing traversal sequences or unexpected file move operations.
You are affected if Siemens Automation License Manager is installed and the version falls within 5.0 to 5.3.4.4 or 6.0.0 to 6.0.1, and the service is network-accessible.
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 data5.3.4.46.0.1
Update Automation License Manager 5 to version 5.3.4.4 or higher, and version 6 to 6.0.1 or higher. Restrict network access to the license manager service and monitor for suspicious file operations.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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-2018-11455 — 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-2018-11455 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
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