DeltavApplication · Emerson

CVE-2018-14793

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-08-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
93/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
No privileges 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
DeltaV Versions 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, and R5 is vulnerable to a buffer overflow exploit through an open communication port to allow arbitrary code execution.

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 · moderate confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in DeltaV distributed control system versions 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, and R5. The flaw is exploitable through an open communication port, allowing an attacker to overflow a memory buffer and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected process.

MitigationApply network segmentation and firewall controls to restrict access to the vulnerable communication port. Coordinate with Emerson for available patches and consider compensating controls such as disabling unnecessary network services until remediation can be completed.

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= 13.3.0= 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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/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 software is installed
    Check system programs, installed software list, or look for DeltaV processes running on the system using task manager or system inventory tools
    Affected if DeltaV distributed control system software is present on the machine
  2. Determine the installed DeltaV version
    Access DeltaV system information through the control system interface, check the About or Version section in the DeltaV software, or query the system using Emerson-provided diagnostic tools
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, or R5
  3. Locate the exposed communication port
    Review network configuration documentation or use netstat -an to identify listening ports on the DeltaV system. Consult Emerson documentation for DeltaV network services and default ports
    Affected if A network service port associated with DeltaV is open and listening for external connections
  4. Verify network accessibility of the DeltaV port
    Use network scanning tools (such as nmap) from an external system to determine if the DeltaV communication port is accessible from the network, or check firewall rules for permitted inbound connections
    Affected if The DeltaV communication port is reachable from network segments that are not isolated by firewalls or network segmentation

You are affected if DeltaV version 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, or R5 is running AND the vulnerable communication port is network-accessible

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 network segmentation and firewall controls to restrict access to the vulnerable communication port. Coordinate with Emerson for available patches and consider compensating controls such as disabling unnecessary network services until remediation can be completed.

Fix this in Deltav Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,580
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2018-14793 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