CVE-2018-1248
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 · uneditedRSA Authentication Manager Security Console, Operation Console and Self-Service Console, version 8.3 and earlier, is affected by a Host header injection vulnerability. This could allow a remote attacker to potentially poison HTTP cache and subsequently redirect users to arbitrary web domains.
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 confidenceRSA Authentication Manager versions 8.3 and earlier are vulnerable to Host header injection in the Security Console, Operation Console, and Self-Service Console. The application improperly validates the Host HTTP header, allowing remote attackers to manipulate it and potentially poison web caches or redirect users to attacker-controlled domains.
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<= 8.3CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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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Identify installed RSA Authentication Manager versionAccess the administrative interface or check the software inventory. In the Security Console, navigate to Administration > System > System Statistics, or use the command line utility 'amb' with version query if available.Affected if The version number is 8.3 or lower (8.3, 8.2, 8.1, 8.0, etc.)
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Verify web console accessibilityConfirm that at least one of the following interfaces is accessible: Security Console (typically port 443/444), Operation Console (typically port 443/444), or Self-Service Console. Attempt to reach these endpoints over HTTP or HTTPS.Affected if Any of the three web consoles (Security Console, Operation Console, or Self-Service Console) are exposed and reachable via network.
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Check for Host header validation in web server configurationExamine the configuration files for the embedded web server (JBoss or similar) that handles the RSA consoles. Look for settings that explicitly define allowed hostnames or domain names.Affected if The web server configuration lacks an explicit whitelist of allowed Host header values, allowing arbitrary hostnames to be accepted.
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Inspect redirect behavior for Host header dependencyTest by sending a request to one of the consoles with a manipulated Host header (for example, Host: attacker.com) and observe whether the application generates redirects or forms that reference the supplied host value.Affected if The application uses the Host header value from incoming requests to construct redirect URLs or form actions without validation.
If your RSA Authentication Manager version is 8.3 or earlier and any of the web consoles are network-accessible, your environment is likely affected by this Host header injection vulnerability.
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 dataImplement Host header validation by configuring an explicit allowed list of valid hostnames in the web server or application configuration, and ensure the application uses a fixed hostname for internal redirects rather than trusting client-supplied headers.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1248 — 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-2018-1248 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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