Fabric Operating SystemOperating system · Broadcom

CVE-2018-6442

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-11-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.4.2d / 8.0.2f or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
A vulnerability in the Brocade Webtools firmware update section of Brocade Fabric OS before 8.2.1, 8.1.2f, 8.0.2f, 7.4.2d could allow remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands.

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 confidence

Command injection vulnerability in Brocade Webtools firmware update component allows authenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands due to insufficient input validation in the firmware upgrade functionality.

MitigationUpgrade Brocade Fabric OS to version 8.2.1 or later (or 8.1.2f, 8.0.2f, 7.4.2d as applicable per branch). If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict Webtools access to trusted management networks and enforce strong authentication.

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
Fabric Operating SystemOperating system
Affected:>= 7.4.2, < 7.4.2d>= 8.0.2, < 8.0.2f>= 8.1.2, < 8.1.2f>= 8.2.0, < 8.2.1

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the Fabric OS product
    Check the system hostname, system identification, or use the 'version' CLI command to confirm the device runs Brocade or Broadcom Fabric OS.
    Affected if The system is not running Brocade/Broadcom Fabric OS.
  2. Determine the installed Fabric OS version
    Run the Fabric OS 'version' command or check the firmware version through the CLI. Compare the version number to the affected ranges: 7.4.2 through 7.4.2d, 8.0.2 through 8.0.2f, 8.1.2 through 8.1.2f, or 8.2.0 through 8.2.1.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the affected version ranges.
  3. Verify Webtools is enabled
    Check if the Webtools web interface is active on the device. This is typically accessible via HTTP/HTTPS on standard management ports. Use 'webtech' or similar CLI command to list enabled web services.
    Affected if Webtools is enabled and accessible.
  4. Check Webtools authentication configuration
    Review the Webtools access controls and authentication settings. Confirm whether remote authentication is enforced for Webtools access.
    Affected if Webtools allows remote authenticated access without additional network restrictions.

The environment is affected if the device runs Broadcom Fabric OS with a version in the vulnerable ranges AND Webtools is enabled with remote authentication 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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 7.4.2d / 8.0.2f / 8.1.2f or later
Fixed in 7.4.2d8.0.2f8.1.2f
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Brocade Fabric OS to version 8.2.1 or later (or 8.1.2f, 8.0.2f, 7.4.2d as applicable per branch). If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict Webtools access to trusted management networks and enforce strong authentication.

Fix this in Fabric Operating System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
38.0 hours of engineering $6,640
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2018-6442 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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