CVE-2018-6668
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 whitelist bypass vulnerability in McAfee Application Control / Change Control 7.0.1 and before allows execution bypass, for example, with simple DLL through interpreters such as PowerShell.
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 confidenceThis is a whitelist bypass vulnerability in McAfee Application Control and Change Control versions 7.0.1 and earlier. The flaw allows attackers to bypass application whitelisting controls by executing unauthorized code through simple DLL files loaded via interpreters such as PowerShell, enabling arbitrary code execution despite whitelisting protections.
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<= 7.0.1CVSS 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
- 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 McAfee Application Control versionCheck the installed version of McAfee Application Control or McAfee Change Control through the product UI, command-line tool, or Windows Add/Remove Programs. Common locations include the product's About dialog or using the product's native version command if available.Affected if The installed version is 7.0.1 or any version prior to 7.0.1.
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Confirm application whitelisting is enabledVerify that the Application Control or Change Control whitelisting feature is currently active and configured in the product. Check the product console or configuration settings to confirm whitelisting is turned on.Affected if Whitelisting is enabled and the product version is 7.0.1 or earlier.
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Check PowerShell script execution policyReview the PowerShell execution policy settings on the system. This can be checked via Get-ExecutionPolicy command or through Group Policy settings if domain-managed.Affected if PowerShell script execution is permitted (not restricted or disabled).
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Audit recent PowerShell activityReview Windows Event Logs, specifically Security and PowerShell logs, for suspicious script execution or DLL loading activity that may indicate attempted whitelist bypass. Look for PowerShell processes loading external DLL files.Affected if There is evidence of PowerShell loading unsigned or unauthorized DLL files while whitelisting is active.
A system is affected if McAfee Application Control or Change Control version 7.0.1 or earlier is installed with whitelisting enabled, and PowerShell script execution is permitted on the endpoint.
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 dataUpgrade McAfee Application Control/Change Control to a patched version beyond 7.0.1. Additionally, monitor and restrict suspicious PowerShell script execution and DLL loading activity to limit the attack surface while the update is being deployed.
- 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-2018-6668 — 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-2018-6668 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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