CVE-2018-1163
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 bypass authentication on vulnerable installations of Quest NetVault Backup 11.2.0.13. The specific flaw exists within JSON RPC Request handling. By setting the checksession parameter to a specific value, it is possible to bypass authentication to critical functions. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-4752.
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 confidenceQuest NetVault Backup 11.2.0.13 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in its JSON RPC Request handling. Remote attackers can bypass authentication to critical functions by setting the checksession parameter to a specific value, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM.
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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Verify Quest NetVault Backup installationCheck for NetVault Backup installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Quest\NetVault Backup or /opt/netvault) and locate the version information in the About or version file within the installation directoryAffected if Quest NetVault Backup version 11.2.0.13 is installed
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Confirm exact version numberUse the NetVault Backup web interface (typically http://server:2014) or check the nvpkg -info command output to obtain the precise installed versionAffected if Version displayed is exactly 11.2.0.13
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Check if JSON RPC interface is accessibleVerify the NetVault Backup service is running and accessible on the default port (2014) by attempting a local or remote connection to the web interfaceAffected if The NetVault Backup web interface on port 2014 is accessible from a network location
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Assess network exposureReview firewall rules and network ACLs to determine if port 2014 (or the configured NetVault port) is exposed to untrusted networks or the internetAffected if The NetVault Backup service port is reachable from untrusted network segments or external addresses
You are affected if Quest NetVault Backup version 11.2.0.13 is installed AND the JSON RPC interface on port 2014 is network-accessible, allowing remote attackers to reach the vulnerable checksession parameter.
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 or update to a fixed version of Quest NetVault Backup. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the NetVault Backup service interface.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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-2018-1163 — 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-2018-1163 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