CVE-2018-14797
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 · uneditedEmerson DeltaV DCS versions 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, R5 allow a specially crafted DLL file to be placed in the search path and loaded as an internal and valid DLL, which may 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 · high confidenceThis is a DLL search order hijacking vulnerability in Emerson DeltaV DCS. An attacker can place a malicious DLL file in a directory that is part of the application's search path, causing the DCS software to load the crafted DLL instead of the legitimate one, leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the DeltaV process.
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= 11.3.1= 12.3.1= 13.3.0= 13.3.1= r5CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 DeltaV versionCheck the DeltaV installation directory or use system inventory tools to find the installed version. Look in typical installation paths like C:\Program Files\Emerson\DeltaV or check registry keys under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Emerson\DeltaVAffected if The installed version matches 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, or R5 exactly
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Enumerate DeltaV application directoriesLocate all directories containing DeltaV executables and application files. Check installation folders and search paths used by DeltaV applicationsAffected if DeltaV is installed and the application uses directories in its search path
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Inspect directories for unauthorized DLL filesList all DLL files in DeltaV installation directories and subdirectories. Look for suspicious or unexpected DLL files that are not part of the standard DeltaV installation, especially in the application root or bin directoriesAffected if Unexpected or unknown DLL files exist in DeltaV directories, particularly in locations that would be searched before the Windows system directories
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Check file system permissions on DeltaV directoriesReview NTFS permissions on DeltaV installation directories and application folders. Use tools like icacls or examine share permissions to determine which users or groups can write to these locationsAffected if Users other than administrators or authorized DeltaV service accounts have write permissions to DeltaV application directories
A user is affected if their installed DeltaV version is 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, or R5 and unauthorized DLL files exist in DeltaV directories or non-privileged users have write access to application search paths.
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 dataOrganizations should apply vendor-supplied patches for DeltaV versions 11.3.1, 12.3.1, 13.3.0, 13.3.1, and R5. Until patches are available, restrict file system permissions to prevent unauthorized users from placing files in application search paths and monitor for suspicious DLL files in DeltaV directories.
- Consultation12.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-14797 — 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-2018-14797 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data