CVE-2018-12591
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 · uneditedUbiquiti Networks EdgeSwitch version 1.7.3 and prior suffer from an improperly neutralized element in an OS command due to lack of protection on the admin CLI, leading to code execution and privilege escalation greater than administrators themselves are allowed. An attacker with access to an admin account could escape the restricted CLI and execute arbitrary shell instructions.
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 confidenceOS command injection vulnerability in Ubiquiti EdgeSwitch admin CLI versions 1.7.3 and prior. An authenticated administrator can escape the restricted CLI environment and execute arbitrary shell commands on the underlying operating system, achieving privilege escalation beyond normal admin capabilities.
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<= 1.7.3CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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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Check EdgeSwitch firmware versionAccess the EdgeSwitch CLI or web management interface and retrieve the firmware version information. Common commands include 'show version' in CLI or checking the System section in the web UI.Affected if The installed firmware version is 1.7.3 or any earlier version.
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Verify admin CLI access is enabledConfirm that the administrative CLI interface is currently enabled and accessible on the device. Check the service configuration for SSH or console CLI access.Affected if The admin CLI interface is enabled and reachable.
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Confirm management network exposureReview the management interface configuration to determine if the CLI is accessible from untrusted networks. Check access control lists or firewall rules applied to the management VLAN or interface.Affected if The management interface is accessible from networks outside the trusted administrative network.
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Check for evidence of CLI escape attemptsReview system logs and audit trails for unusual command patterns or privilege escalation indicators within the CLI session history.Affected if Logs show commands that escape the restricted CLI environment or indicate unauthorized shell access.
A system is affected if the EdgeSwitch runs firmware version 1.7.3 or earlier AND the admin CLI is accessible, allowing an authenticated administrator to escape the restricted CLI and execute arbitrary OS commands.
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 dataUpgrade Ubiquiti EdgeSwitch firmware to a version newer than 1.7.3. Until upgrade is possible, restrict management interface access to trusted networks only and implement network segmentation controls.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,880.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-12591 — 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-2018-12591 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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