Webex Meetings OnlineApplication · Cisco
CVE-2018-15409
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the Cisco Webex Network Recording Player for Microsoft Windows and the Cisco Webex Player for Microsoft Windows could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on an affected system. The vulnerability exist because the affected software improperly validates Advanced Recording Format (ARF) and Webex Recording Format (WRF) files. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a user a malicious ARF or WRF file via a link or an email attachment and persuading the user to open the file by using the affected software. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system.
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 confidenceA file validation vulnerability exists in Cisco Webex Network Recording Player and Cisco Webex Player for Microsoft Windows. The players fail to properly validate Advanced Recording Format (ARF) and Webex Recording Format (WRF) files, allowing specially crafted malicious files to trigger arbitrary code execution when opened by a user.
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
Webex Meetings OnlineApplication
< 1.3.37
Webex Meetings ServerApplication
= 2.5= 2.5.1.29= 2.6= 2.7= 2.7.1= 2.8
Webex Business Suite 31Application
< 31.23.4
Webex Business Suite 33Application
< 33.3CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/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 if Webex player is installedOpen Windows Control Panel and view the list of installed programs, or run 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product' in PowerShell to enumerate installed software. Look for 'Cisco Webex Network Recording Player', 'Cisco Webex Player', or similar Webex client software.Affected if The Webex player software is present on the system
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Determine the installed Webex player versionRight-click the Webex player executable (typically named NetworkRecordingPlayer.exe or WebexPlayer.exe) in the installation directory, select Properties, and view the Version tab. Alternatively, open the player, go to Help > About to view version information.Affected if A version number is found that matches the affected ranges: Webex Meetings Online < 1.3.37, Meetings Server versions 2.5/2.5.1.29/2.6/2.7/2.7.1/2.8, Business Suite 31 < 31.23.4, or Business Suite 33 < 33.3
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Verify if the player handles ARF or WRF file typesCheck file type associations by searching for .arf and .wrf file extensions in Windows Registry under HKCR\.arf and HKCR\.wrf, or attempt to open a legitimate Webex recording file with the player to confirm functionality.Affected if The player is configured to open .arf or .wrf files, as the vulnerability exploits improper validation of these file types when opened by a user
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Confirm the vulnerability trigger conditionThe vulnerability is triggered when a user opens a specially crafted malicious ARF or WRF file. Check if users in the environment have received or could receive untrusted recording files via email, links, or shared drives.Affected if Users have the ability to open ARF or WRF files with the vulnerable player version, enabling arbitrary code execution from malicious files
The environment is affected if the Cisco Webex Network Recording Player or Webex Player for Windows is installed with a version matching the affected ranges and users can open ARF or WRF files.
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 data1.3.3731.23.433.3
Apply the vendor patch from Cisco to update the affected Webex players to a fixed version. Until patched, warn users not to open untrusted ARF or WRF files received via email or links, and consider blocking these file types at the email gateway.
Fix this in Webex Meetings Online
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-15409 — 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-2018-15409 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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