CVE-2018-6703
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 · uneditedUse After Free in Remote logging (which is disabled by default) in McAfee McAfee Agent (MA) 5.x prior to 5.6.0 allows remote unauthenticated attackers to cause a Denial of Service and potentially a remote code execution via a specially crafted HTTP header sent to the logging service.
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 confidenceUse After Free vulnerability in McAfee Agent's remote logging service allows remote unauthenticated attackers to cause denial of service and potentially achieve remote code execution via specially crafted HTTP headers. The remote logging feature is disabled by default, limiting exposure, but the critical CVSS score indicates severe risk if exploited.
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>= 5.0.0, < 5.6.0CVSS 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 McAfee Agent versionCheck the McAfee Agent version using the Windows registry (HKLM\SOFTWARE\McAfee\Agent\Version) or by running the McAfee agent command-line tool (naoffer.exe -version). Alternatively, query the McAfee ePO console for agent versions in your environment.Affected if The installed version is 5.0.0 through 5.5.x (any version >= 5.0.0 but < 5.6.0).
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Verify remote logging feature statusCheck whether the remote logging feature has been enabled in your McAfee Agent configuration. This can be done via the McAfee ePO console under agent policy settings, or by examining the agent configuration file or registry entries related to remote logging (such as 'RemoteLogging' or similar configuration keys under the McAfee Agent settings).Affected if Remote logging is explicitly enabled in the agent configuration.
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Confirm remote logging service listenerVerify if the McAfee Agent remote logging HTTP service is listening on the configured port (default TCP 8081 for McAfee Agent remote logging). Use netstat or similar network tools to check for listening services on ports associated with remote logging.Affected if The remote logging HTTP service is actively listening and accepting connections.
You are affected if McAfee Agent version 5.0.0 through 5.5.x is installed AND remote logging has been enabled 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.
dbcve · scoped5.6.0
Upgrade McAfee Agent to version 5.6.0 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Since remote logging is disabled by default, verify whether it has been enabled in your environment before deploying the update.
McAfee Agent 5.6.0 or later
- 1. Download McAfee Agent 5.6.0 or later from the McAfee KnowledgeBase (kc.mcafee.com) or your authorized McAfee download portal
- 2. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first to ensure compatibility with your existing McAfee ePO infrastructure
- 3. Create a backup of your current McAfee Agent configuration
- 4. Deploy the agent upgrade using your McAfee ePO server or your standard software deployment method
- 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the agent version on affected systems
- 6. Confirm the remote logging service is still disabled (it is disabled by default) unless explicitly required for your environment
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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 $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-6703 — 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-2018-6703 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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