DeltavApplication · Emerson

CVE-2018-14791

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-08-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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 · unedited
Emerson DeltaV DCS versions 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, R5 may allow non-administrative users to change executable and library files on the affected products.

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 confidence

Emerson DeltaV DCS versions 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, and R5 contain an authorization vulnerability that allows non-administrative users to modify executable and library files on the affected system, potentially enabling code execution or system compromise.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for DeltaV DCS and review user role-based access control (RBAC) configurations to enforce least-privilege principles; restrict file system permissions on executable and library directories to administrative users only.

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
DeltavApplication
Affected:= 11.3.1= 12.3.1= 13.3= 13.3.1= r5

CVSS 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:3.1/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if DeltaV DCS is installed
    Locate DeltaV installation directories on the system, typically found in the program files or application directories. Check for DeltaV-specific folders or services.
    Affected if DeltaV DCS software is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed DeltaV version
    Access the DeltaV system information or About section through the DeltaV Explorer or control system interface to view the exact version number.
    Affected if The installed version matches 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, or R5
  3. Verify file system permissions on executable directories
    Examine the file system permissions on DeltaV directories containing executable files (.exe, .dll) and library files. Check write access for non-administrative user accounts.
    Affected if Non-administrative users have write permissions to executable or library directories
  4. Review user role assignments and RBAC configuration
    Access the DeltaV user management or security configuration to list all user roles and their assigned permissions, particularly focusing on file modification privileges.
    Affected if Non-administrative user accounts are assigned roles that permit modification of executable or library files

A system is affected if DeltaV DCS versions 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, or R5 are installed and non-administrative users have write access to executable or library file directories.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches for DeltaV DCS and review user role-based access control (RBAC) configurations to enforce least-privilege principles; restrict file system permissions on executable and library directories to administrative users only.

Fix this in Deltav Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
42.0 hours of engineering $7,360
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-14791 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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