CVE-2018-13014
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 · uneditedStoring password in recoverable format in safensec.com (SysWatch service) in SAFE'N'SEC SoftControl/SafenSoft SysWatch, SoftControl/SafenSoft TPSecure, and SoftControl/SafenSoft Enterprise Suite before 4.4.2 allows the local attacker to restore the SysWatch password from the settings database and modify program settings.
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 confidenceThe SysWatch service stores administrative passwords in a recoverable format (likely plaintext or weakly encrypted) in its settings database rather than using proper password hashing. A local attacker with database access can recover the plaintext password and use it to modify program settings, effectively achieving privilege escalation.
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< 4.4.2< 4.4.2< 4.4.2CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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 installed Safensoft product and versionLocate the Safensoft application (Enterprise Suite, Syswatch, or Tpsecure) in your programs and check the installed version number. This is typically found in Add/Remove Programs, the application's About dialog, or the program directory.Affected if The installed version is any version below 4.4.2 (e.g., 4.3.0, 4.2.1, etc.)
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Locate the SysWatch settings databaseSearch for the settings database file used by the SysWatch service. Common locations include the application data folder or the program's configuration directory. The file may have extensions like .db, .sqlite, or .mdb.Affected if The settings database file exists and contains user or administrative credential records.
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Inspect password storage format in the databaseOpen or query the settings database file using an appropriate tool (database viewer, SQLite browser, or text editor if it's a plain file). Locate tables or fields that store username/password pairs. Examine whether passwords appear in plaintext, Base64-encoded, or weakly encrypted rather than as salted hash values.Affected if Passwords are stored in plaintext, Base64, or any reversible encoding instead of being stored as cryptographic hashes.
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Verify file access permissions on the databaseCheck file system permissions on the settings database file. Determine which local users or groups have read access to this file.Affected if Any local user account other than the SYSTEM account or designated administrators can read the database file.
You are affected if any Safensoft product (Enterprise Suite, Syswatch, or Tpsecure) version is below 4.4.2 and the settings database contains passwords in a recoverable (plaintext or weakly encrypted) format accessible to non-admin users.
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 data4.4.2
Upgrade to version 4.4.2 or later which implements proper password hashing. Until then, restrict local access to the settings database file and monitor for unauthorized modifications.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,720.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-13014 — 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-2018-13014 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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