CVE-2018-19999
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 · uneditedThe local management interface in SolarWinds Serv-U FTP Server 15.1.6.25 has incorrect access controls that permit local users to bypass authentication in the application and execute code in the context of the Windows SYSTEM account, leading to privilege escalation. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must have local access the the host running Serv-U, and a Serv-U administrator have an active management console session.
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 confidenceSolarWinds Serv-U FTP Server 15.1.6.25 contains an access control flaw in its local management interface that allows local unprivileged users to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. Exploitation requires the attacker to have local access to the host AND an active Serv-U administrator management console session running.
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= 15.1.6.25CVSS 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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Identify Serv-U FTP Server installation and versionCheck installed programs or registry for SolarWinds Serv-U FTP Server and note the exact version numberAffected if The installed version is exactly 15.1.6.25
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Locate the Serv-U administration executableSearch for ServUAdmin.exe or similar management console binary in standard SolarWinds installation directories (typically C:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Serv-U\)Affected if The Serv-U admin console binary exists on the system, indicating local management interface is available
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Determine if admin console session is activeCheck for running ServUAdmin.exe process or active terminal services sessions where an administrator may have left the console openAffected if A Serv-U administrator management console session is currently running or accessible via terminal services
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Verify physical and remote access controlsReview who has physical access to the server and check terminal services/remote desktop configuration for non-admin usersAffected if Untrusted or unprivileged users have physical access or terminal services access to the server hosting Serv-U
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Check for signs of local privilege escalationReview Windows event logs and running processes for unexpected Serv-U-related processes running under SYSTEM context initiated by non-admin accountsAffected if Evidence exists of commands or processes executed through Serv-U management interface by unprivileged accounts
You are affected if Serv-U FTP Server version 15.1.6.25 is installed AND an active administrator management console session exists on a system accessible to unprivileged 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 from SolarWinds for Serv-U FTP Server. Until patched, restrict physical and terminal services access to the server, and ensure administrator console sessions are not left active on accessible systems.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-19999 — 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-2018-19999 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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