CVE-2018-6486
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 · uneditedXML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in Micro Focus Fortify Audit Workbench (AWB) and Micro Focus Fortify Software Security Center (SSC), versions 16.10, 16.20, 17.10. This vulnerability could be exploited to allow a XML External Entity (XXE) injection.
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 confidenceXML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in Micro Focus Fortify Audit Workbench and Software Security Center versions 16.10, 16.20, and 17.10. The vulnerability allows injection of malicious XML containing external entity references, potentially enabling disclosure of internal files, SSRF, or denial of service.
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= 16.10= 16.20= 17.10= 16.10= 16.20= 17.10CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Fortify Audit Workbench versionLocate the installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\Fortify Audit Workbench or /opt/fortify/awb) and check the version file or executable properties. On Windows, open Add/Remove Programs or check the registry under HKLM\Software\Micro Focus\Fortify Audit Workbench for the Version value.Affected if The installed version is 16.10, 16.20, or 17.10 exactly
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Check Fortify Software Security Center versionLocate the installation directory for SSC (commonly C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\Software Security Center or /opt/fortify/ssc) and check version files. On Windows, open Add/Remove Programs or check the registry under HKLM\Software\Micro Focus\Software Security Center for the Version value.Affected if The installed version is 16.10, 16.20, or 17.10 exactly
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Confirm XML import functionality is presentVerify that the Fortify product has XML import or upload capabilities enabled. For Audit Workbench, this is typically available when importing FPR files or external XML-based reports. For SSC, check if the upload/import API or web interface accepts XML uploads.Affected if XML import or parsing features are accessible to users (default configuration)
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Check running servicesVerify the Fortify Software Security Center service is running (on Windows check Services console, on Linux check via 'ps -ef | grep fortify' or similar). For Audit Workbench, confirm the application can be launched.Affected if The affected product version is installed and the service/application is operational
You are affected if either Fortify Audit Workbench or Software Security Center version 16.10, 16.20, or 17.10 is installed and operational in your environment.
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 vendor patch from Micro Focus for the affected versions. If no patch available, disable external entity resolution in XML parsers used by the affected components.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-6486 — 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-2018-6486 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