CVE-2018-6446
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in Brocade Network Advisor Version Before 14.3.1 could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log in to the JBoss Administration interface of an affected system using an undocumented user credentials and install additional JEE applications.
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 confidenceBrocade Network Advisor versions before 14.3.1 contain undocumented hardcoded JBoss Administration interface credentials, allowing any unauthenticated remote attacker to gain administrative access and deploy malicious JEE applications.
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< 14.3.1CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Brocade Network Advisor versionAccess the Brocade Network Advisor web interface, go to Help > About, or check the installation directory for version information. Alternatively, query the application's startup logs or registry entries for the version number.Affected if The installed version is lower than 14.3.1 (for example, 14.0.0, 13.x, 12.x)
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Locate JBoss configuration filesNavigate to the Brocade Network Advisor installation directory and locate the JBoss application server configuration, typically under a 'jboss' or 'server' subdirectory. Look for 'login-config.xml' or 'application-users.properties' files.Affected if Hardcoded credentials (username and password pairs) are present in JBoss configuration files that are not documented in official administration guides
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Verify JBoss Administration interface accessibilityCheck if the JBoss admin console (typically at /admin-console or /jmx-console endpoints) is accessible from network locations outside the trusted management network. Review firewall rules and access control lists.Affected if The JBoss admin interface is exposed to untrusted networks without authentication barriers
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Scan for unauthorized JEE applicationsReview the JBoss deployment directory for deployed JEE applications (.ear, .war, .jar files) that were not installed by the legitimate Brocade Network Advisor setup. Check deployment timestamps against known maintenance windows.Affected if Unexpected JEE applications are present in the deployment directory, especially with recent deployment dates
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Review JBoss server logs for unauthorized accessExamine JBoss server log files (server.log, boot.log) for unusual authentication events, especially successful admin logins from unexpected IP addresses or deployment activities.Affected if Logs show admin-level logins or deployments from IP addresses not belonging to authorized administrators
You are affected if Brocade Network Advisor version is below 14.3.1 AND the JBoss admin interface is network-accessible, regardless of whether you see evidence of exploitation.
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.
dbcve · scoped14.3.1
Upgrade Brocade Network Advisor to version 14.3.1 or later to obtain the patched software with removed undocumented credentials; additionally, review and restrict JBoss admin interface access via network segmentation and monitor for unauthorized JEE application deployments.
Brocade Network Advisor 14.3.1 or later
- Backup all Brocade Network Advisor configurations and data according to your organization's backup procedures.
- Obtain Brocade Network Advisor version 14.3.1 or later from Broadcom's official support portal.
- Review Broadcom's upgrade documentation for Brocade Network Advisor to understand the upgrade process and any prerequisites.
- Execute the upgrade following the documented procedures, ensuring the system meets all prerequisites.
- After upgrade, verify that the JBoss Administration interface credentials have been changed from the hardcoded values and that the undocumented admin account no longer exists.
- Confirm the Brocade Network Advisor application is functioning correctly post-upgrade.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-6446 — 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-2018-6446 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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