CVE-2018-1161
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 · uneditedThis vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Quest NetVault Backup 11.2.0.13. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within nvwsworker.exe. When parsing the boundary header of a multipart request, the process does not properly validate the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a stack-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code under the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-4215.
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 stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in nvwsworker.exe of Quest NetVault Backup 11.2.0.13 allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code as SYSTEM by exploiting improper length validation when parsing the boundary header of multipart HTTP requests.
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= 11.2.0.13CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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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Confirm NetVault Backup installation and versionLocate and inspect the NetVault Backup installation to determine the installed version number. Common methods include checking Add/Remove Programs, the application UI about dialog, or querying the installation directory for version metadata.Affected if The installed version is exactly 11.2.0.13
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Verify nvwsworker.exe is presentSearch for the file nvwsworker.exe in the NetVault Backup installation directory. This executable handles the web service interface.Affected if The file nvwsworker.exe exists in the NetVault installation path and version is 11.2.0.13
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Determine if web service is runningCheck if the NetVault web service process (nvwsworker.exe) is currently running on the system. This can be done via Task Manager or command-line process listing tools.Affected if The nvwsworker.exe process is active and the version is 11.2.0.13
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Assess network exposure of web interfaceDetermine whether the NetVault web service is listening on network interfaces and potentially accessible from untrusted networks. Check firewall rules and binding configurations.Affected if The web interface is network-accessible and the version is 11.2.0.13
A system is affected if Quest NetVault Backup version 11.2.0.13 is installed with the web service (nvwsworker.exe) running and accessible over the network.
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 dataApply the vendor patch for CVE-2018-1161 immediately; if unavailable, restrict network access to the NetVault web service interface or consider disabling it until a patch is released.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1161 — 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-2018-1161 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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