CVE-2018-1240
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 · uneditedDell EMC ViPR Controller, versions after 3.0.0.38, contain an information exposure vulnerability in the VRRP. VRRP defaults to an insecure configuration in Linux's keepalived component which sends the cluster password in plaintext through multicast. A malicious user, having access to the vCloud subnet where ViPR is deployed, could potentially sniff the password and use it to take over the cluster's virtual IP and cause a denial of service on that ViPR Controller system.
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 confidenceDell EMC ViPR Controller versions after 3.0.0.38 use keepalived for VRRP functionality with an insecure default configuration that transmits the cluster password in plaintext via multicast. An attacker with access to the vCloud subnet can sniff this plaintext password and use it to hijack the virtual IP or cause denial of service.
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>= 3.0.0.39, < 3.6.1.4CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:A/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 ViPR Controller versionRun 'vipr-version' or check /opt/vipr/version file to determine the installed version of Dell EMC ViPR ControllerAffected if The installed version is greater than or equal to 3.0.0.39 AND less than 3.6.1.4
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Locate keepalived configurationFind the keepalived.conf file in /etc/keepalived/ or search for keepalived configuration files used by ViPR Controller for VRRP functionalityAffected if A keepalived.conf file exists and is configured for ViPR VRRP clusters
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Verify VRRP authentication configurationOpen the keepalived.conf file and inspect the vrrp_authentication or authentication block within the vrrp_instance section. Check if 'auth_type' is set to a value other than NONE or plaintextAffected if No authentication is configured (auth_type is NONE or missing) or the password is transmitted in plaintext
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Check VRRP encryption settingsInspect the vrrp_instance configuration for any 'encrypt' or 'virtual_router' settings. Verify if AH (Authentication Header) or ESP encryption is enabled for VRRP packetsAffected if No encryption is configured for VRRP packet transmission
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Assess network exposureDetermine if the ViPR Controller network interface used for VRRP (multicast) is accessible from untrusted networks. Review vCloud subnet access controls and VLAN configurationAffected if The VRRP multicast traffic is reachable from an untrusted or shared vCloud network segment
You are affected if ViPR Controller version is between 3.0.0.39 and 3.6.1.4 inclusive, and keepalived is configured for VRRP without authentication or encryption enabled on an accessible 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 data3.6.1.4
Enable VRRP authentication or encryption in keepalived configuration, and implement network segmentation to restrict access to the vCloud subnet where ViPR is deployed.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2018-1240 — 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-2018-1240 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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