CVE-2018-18093
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 · uneditedImproper file permissions in the installer for Intel VTune Amplifier 2018 Update 3 and before may allow unprivileged user to potentially gain privileged access via local access.
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 Intel VTune Amplifier 2018 Update 3 and earlier installers created files with overly permissive file permissions, allowing unprivileged local users to potentially modify or replace executable files, DLLs, or configuration files that subsequently execute with elevated privileges, enabling local privilege escalation.
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<= 2018= 2018CVSS 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:3.0/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate Intel VTune Amplifier installationSearch for the Intel VTune Amplifier installation directory, typically found under 'C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel VTune Amplifier' on Windows or '/opt/intel/vtune_amplifier' on Linux. Check Program Files or common Intel installation paths.Affected if The software is not found in the system, the user is likely not affected by this specific vulnerability.
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Identify installed versionCheck the version of Intel VTune Amplifier by looking at the installer logs, the binary file version of 'amplifier' or 'vtune' executable in the installation bin directory, or registry keys under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Intel\VTuneAmplifier if on Windows.Affected if The version is 2018 or any version <= 2018 Update 3, indicating the installation falls within the affected version range.
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Verify installation directory permissionsInspect file permissions on the Intel VTune Amplifier installation directory. On Windows, right-click the folder, go to Properties > Security, and check that Users or Authenticated Users do not have Write or Modify permissions. On Linux, run 'ls -la' on the installation directory and verify that permissions do not allow write access by non-root users (permissions should not be 777 or include 'w' for group/others).Affected if The installation directory or its contents are writable by unprivileged local users (world-writable or writable by Users group), allowing modification or replacement of executables, DLLs, or configuration files.
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Check executable and DLL file permissionsExamine key executables (amplifier.exe, vtune.exe, etc.) and DLL files in the bin directory of the installation. Verify that these files are not writable by non-admin users. Use 'icacls' on Windows or 'ls -l' on Linux to list permissions.Affected if Executable files or DLLs in the installation directory are writable by unprivileged users, creating a condition where the vulnerability could be exploited for privilege escalation.
The user is affected if Intel VTune Amplifier version 2018 or earlier is installed and the installation directory contains files with overly permissive write permissions accessible to unprivileged local users.
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 dataApply the vendor patch (update to a patched version of Intel VTune Amplifier) and audit installed files for improper permissions; consider reinstalling with corrected permissions or removing the software if no patch is available.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-18093 — 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-2018-18093 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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