CVE-2018-18850
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 · uneditedIn Octopus Deploy 2018.8.0 through 2018.9.x before 2018.9.1, an authenticated user with permission to modify deployment processes could upload a maliciously crafted YAML configuration, potentially allowing for remote execution of arbitrary code, running in the same context as the Octopus Server (for self-hosted installations by default, 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 YAML deserialization vulnerability in Octopus Deploy versions 2018.8.0 through 2018.9.x before 2018.9.1 allows authenticated users with deployment process modification permissions to upload malicious YAML configurations that can trigger remote code execution. The injected code runs in the context of the Octopus Server process, which by default operates as SYSTEM on self-hosted installations.
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>= 2018.8.0, <= 2018.8.12>= 2018.9.0, < 2018.9.1CVSS 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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Identify installed Octopus Server versionLocate the Octopus Server installation and check its version number, typically visible in the Octopus web portal header or in the installation directory's version infoAffected if The installed version falls within 2018.8.0 to 2018.8.12, or 2018.9.0 to 2018.9.0 (the version shown is less than 2018.9.1)
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Confirm deployment process feature is accessibleVerify that the Octopus Deploy deployment process functionality is enabled and accessible in the installation; this feature is present in standard Octopus Server installationsAffected if The deployment process module is available and active in the Octopus Server instance
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Review user roles with deployment process modification permissionsAccess the Octopus Administrator interface and examine the roles and permissions configuration to identify which users or teams have the ability to modify deployment processesAffected if Any user account other than fully trusted administrators has been granted permissions to modify deployment processes
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Check for unauthorized or suspicious deployment process configurationsAudit the deployment process configurations stored in Octopus for any unexpected or malicious YAML content, particularly in step templates or variable sets that accept YAML inputAffected if Any deployment process contains YAML configurations that were not created by known, trusted administrators
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Verify Octopus Server process identityInspect the Windows Task Manager or service configuration to confirm the account context under which the Octopus Server service runsAffected if The Octopus Server service runs as SYSTEM or a high-privilege account, which would allow injected code to execute with elevated privileges
Your environment is affected if the Octopus Server version is 2018.8.0 through 2018.8.12 or 2018.9.0 through 2018.9.0, and users with deployment process modification permissions exist in the system.
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 data2018.9.1
Upgrade Octopus Deploy to version 2018.9.1 or later. In the interim, restrict or audit deployment process modification permissions to only highly trusted administrators.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-18850 — 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-2018-18850 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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