CVE-2018-16715
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Absolute Software CTES Windows Agent through 1.0.0.1479. The security permissions on the %ProgramData%\CTES folder and sub-folders may allow write access to low-privileged user accounts. This allows unauthorized replacement of service program executable (EXE) or dynamically loadable library (DLL) files, causing elevated (SYSTEM) user access. Configuration control files or data files under this folder could also be similarly modified to affect service process behavior.
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 CTES Windows Agent stores service executables and DLLs under %ProgramData%\CTES with overly permissive NTFS access controls, allowing any low-privileged user to modify or replace these files. Since the CTES service runs as SYSTEM, replacing its executable or DLL with a malicious payload enables full privilege escalation to SYSTEM-level access.
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<= 1.0.0.1479CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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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Verify if Absolute CTES Windows Agent is installedOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named 'Absolute CTES Windows Agent' or similar, and note the version displayedAffected if The product is installed with a version <= 1.0.0.1479
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Confirm the vulnerable directory existsVerify that the directory %ProgramData%\CTES exists on the system using 'dir %ProgramData%\CTES' in Command Prompt or PowerShellAffected if The directory exists (indicates the vulnerable configuration is present)
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Inspect NTFS permissions on the CTES directoryRight-click %ProgramData%\CTES in File Explorer, go to Properties > Security tab, and review the permissions under 'Group or user names'. Alternatively, run 'icacls %ProgramData%\CTES' in Command Prompt to list all access control entriesAffected if Users with low privileges (such as BUILTIN\Users or Everyone) are listed with WRITE, MODIFY, or FULL CONTROL permissions, indicating they can modify or replace files in this directory
A user is affected if the Absolute CTES Windows Agent version is 1.0.0.1479 or lower AND standard users have write access to %ProgramData%\CTES, allowing them to replace service executables for privilege escalation.
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 dataRestrict NTFS write permissions on %ProgramData%\CTES and subfolders to administrators and the SYSTEM account only, removing access for standard users; verify the service functions correctly after permission changes.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-16715 — 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-2018-16715 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
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