CVE-2018-11459
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 SINUMERIK 808D V4.7 (All versions), SINUMERIK 808D V4.8 (All versions), SINUMERIK 828D V4.7 (All versions < V4.7 SP6 HF1), SINUMERIK 840D sl V4.7 (All versions < V4.7 SP6 HF5), SINUMERIK 840D sl V4.8 (All versions < V4.8 SP3). A local attacker could modify a user-writeable configuration file so that after reboot or manual initiation the system reloads the modified configuration file and attacker-controlled code is executed with elevated privileges. The security vulnerability could be exploited by an attacker with local access to the affected system. Successful exploitation requires user privileges but no user interaction. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to compromise confidentiality, integrity and availability of the system. At the time of advisory publication no public exploitation of this security vulnerability was known.
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 confidenceLocal privilege escalation vulnerability in Siemens SINUMERIK CNC systems (808D, 828D, 840D sl) where an attacker with user-level access can modify a user-writeable configuration file. Upon reboot or manual reload, the system executes attacker-controlled code from the modified config with elevated privileges.
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 dataall versionsall versions<= 4.7<= 4.7<= 4.8CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Sinumerik model and firmware versionAccess the CNC system HMI and navigate to the system information or diagnostics area to retrieve the exact model number (808D, 828D, or 840D sl) and firmware version (V4.7 or V4.8)Affected if The model is 808D with V4.7 or V4.8, 828D with V4.7, or 840D sl with V4.7 or V4.8 firmware
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Determine if user-level access is availableVerify that standard user accounts can access the file system or configuration interfaces of the CNC systemAffected if Standard non-privileged user accounts can log in and access configuration areas
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Locate user-writeable configuration filesExplore the configuration directories accessible to standard users on the CNC system, looking for files that can be modified without administrator privilegesAffected if Configuration files in user-accessible directories exist and retain write permissions for standard users
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Check configuration file integrityCompare the current configuration files against known-good baselines or hash values if available, or inspect file timestamps and content for unexpected modificationsAffected if Any configuration file shows unauthorized changes, unexpected timestamps, or contains suspicious code or commands not present in the original
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Inspect startup configuration for injected commandsReview any configuration files that load upon system boot or manual reload, looking for shell commands, scripts, or executables that were not authorized by administratorsAffected if Startup or reload configuration files contain suspicious commands or references to unauthorized executables
A user is affected if they operate a vulnerable Sinumerik model/firmware version AND standard user accounts can modify configuration files that are executed with elevated privileges on reboot or reload.
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 dataRestrict physical access to affected CNC systems, monitor configuration files for unauthorized changes, and apply vendor firmware updates when available. Consider implementing file integrity monitoring on configuration directories.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,928.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-11459 — 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-2018-11459 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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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.
- 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