dbcve.org
Web Infrastructure PlatformApplication · Sas

CVE-2018-20732

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-01-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.4 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
SAS Web Infrastructure Platform before 9.4M6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a Java deserialization variant.

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 · moderate confidence

SAS Web Infrastructure Platform before version 9.4M6 contains a Java deserialization vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. This is a variant of known Java deserialization attacks, where untrusted serialized Java objects are deserialized without proper validation, enabling remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade SAS Web Infrastructure Platform to version 9.4M6 or later. As an interim measure, restrict network access to vulnerable instances and implement network segmentation to reduce exposure.

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
Web Infrastructure PlatformApplication
Affected:< 9.4= 9.4

CVSS 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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify SAS Web Infrastructure Platform installation
    Locate the SAS Web Infrastructure Platform installation directory, typically found in the SAS Home directory (e.g., /sas9.4 or C:\Program Files\SAS). Check for the presence of the WebInfrastructurePlatform or similar middleware components.
    Affected if The platform is installed and the installation directory cannot be located for version verification.
  2. Determine the installed version
    Locate the version file or check the SAS deployment manifest. Common locations include the SAS Home directory metadata, the deployment data file, or the Web Infrastructure Platform-specific version file. Alternatively, access the SAS Management Console or SAS Deployment Manager and retrieve the platform version information.
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 9.4M6 (any version less than 9.4 or equal to 9.4, since 9.4M6 is the first fixed release).
  3. Verify the exact version number
    Compare the identified version against the affected ranges: versions less than 9.4 or exactly version 9.4. Look for version strings such as 9.4, 9.4M1, 9.4M2, 9.4M3, 9.4M4, or 9.4M5.
    Affected if The version is 9.4, 9.4M1, 9.4M2, 9.4M3, 9.4M4, or 9.4M5, or any version below 9.4.
  4. Confirm Java deserialization is accessible
    Determine if the SAS Web Infrastructure Platform web interface (typically accessible via HTTP/HTTPS on configured ports) is network-accessible. Check network binding configuration and firewall rules to see if the platform accepts external connections.
    Affected if The web interface is exposed to network access, allowing untrusted serialized Java objects to reach the vulnerable deserialization endpoint.

You are affected if SAS Web Infrastructure Platform is installed and its version is earlier than 9.4M6 (versions 9.4 or below, or any 9.4Mx release before M6), with the web interface network-accessible.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.4 or later
Fixed in 9.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade SAS Web Infrastructure Platform to version 9.4M6 or later. As an interim measure, restrict network access to vulnerable instances and implement network segmentation to reduce exposure.

Recommended fix High confidence

SAS Web Infrastructure Platform 9.4M6 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current version of SAS Web Infrastructure Platform by checking the SAS Deployment Manager or via SAS Management Console.
  2. 2. Confirm the current version is 9.4 or earlier (including any versions below 9.4).
  3. 3. Review SAS installation documentation and ensure you have a complete backup of the SAS metadata repository and configuration files.
  4. 4. Obtain the SAS Web Infrastructure Platform 9.4M6 (or later) installation media from SAS Institute.
  5. 5. Stop all SAS servers and services before applying the upgrade.
  6. 6. Apply the upgrade to SAS Web Infrastructure Platform to version 9.4M6 or later using the SAS Deployment Manager or appropriate installation method.
  7. 7. After upgrade completes, verify the new version is 9.4M6 or higher.
  8. 8. Restart all SAS services and validate that Web Infrastructure Platform components are functioning correctly.
Caveat Review SAS release notes for 9.4M6 for any configuration or compatibility changes before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Web Infrastructure Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,000
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-20732 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-20732 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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