CVE-2018-1147
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 · uneditedIn Nessus before 7.1.0, a XSS vulnerability exists due to improper input validation. A remote authenticated attacker could create and upload a .nessus file, which may be viewed by an administrator allowing for the execution of arbitrary script code in a user's browser session. In other scenarios, XSS could also occur by altering variables from the Advanced Settings.
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 confidenceThis is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Nessus versions prior to 7.1.0. An authenticated remote attacker can upload a malicious .nessus file containing XSS payloads that execute when an administrator views the file. A second attack vector exists through manipulating Advanced Settings variables, allowing script execution in a user's browser session.
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< 7.1.0CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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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Check Nessus application versionIn the Nessus web interface, click 'Help' > 'About' to display the version number. Alternatively, check the version via command line on the host system or review the installation package information.Affected if The version displayed is lower than 7.1.0 (for example, 7.0.x, 6.x, or earlier).
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Verify if .nessus files from untrusted sources have been importedReview the Nessus Scans or Policies list in the web interface for any imported .nessus files, particularly from external or untrusted sources. Inspect the file contents if accessible.Affected if There are imported .nessus files that may contain unsolicited or externally-sourced content that was not generated internally.
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Inspect Advanced Settings configurationIn the Nessus web interface, navigate to 'Settings' > 'Advanced' to review the Advanced Settings variables. Check for any custom or suspicious variable values that were not set by your organization.Affected if Advanced Settings contain unexpected or manipulated variables that were not intentionally configured by your administrator.
A user is affected if their Nessus installation version is below 7.1.0, and either untrusted .nessus files have been imported or Advanced Settings contain manipulated variables.
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 data7.1.0
Upgrade Nessus to version 7.1.0 or later, which contains proper input validation to sanitize .nessus file content and Advanced Settings variables.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1147 — 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-2018-1147 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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