dbcve.org
TvmediahelperApplication · Swisscom

CVE-2018-6766

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-03-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Swisscom TVMediaHelper 1.1.0.50 contains a vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted system. This vulnerability exists due to the way .dll files are loaded. It allows an attacker to load a .dll of the attacker's choosing that could execute arbitrary code without the user's knowledge. The specific flaw exists within the handling of several DLLs (dwmapi.dll, PROPSYS.dll, cscapi.dll, SAMLIB.dll, netbios.dll, winhttp.dll, security.dll, ntmarta.dll, WindowsCodecs.dll, apphelp.dll) loaded by the SwisscomTVMediaHelper.exe process.

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

Swisscom TVMediaHelper 1.1.0.50 is vulnerable to DLL hijacking due to insecure DLL loading. The application loads multiple system DLLs (dwmapi.dll, PROPSYS.dll, cscapi.dll, SAMLIB.dll, netbios.dll, winhttp.dll, security.dll, ntmarta.dll, WindowsCodecs.dll, apphelp.dll) without validating the load path, allowing an attacker to place a malicious DLL in a search path location that gets loaded before the legitimate system DLL, enabling arbitrary code execution.

MitigationReplace relative DLL loading with absolute paths or hardcoded system paths for all DLLs, enable Safe DLL Search Mode, and/or implement DLL verification (e.g., code signing verification) before loading. If available, apply vendor patches that address this vulnerability.

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
TvmediahelperApplication
Affected:= 1.1.0.50

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
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 checks

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

  1. Confirm Swisscom TVMediaHelper installation and version
    Check the installed version of Swisscom TVMediaHelper. Common locations: C:\Program Files\Swisscom\TVMediaHelper\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Swisscom\TVMediaHelper\. Look for TvMediaHelper.exe or similar executable and check its version property, or check Add/Remove Programs for the installed version.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.1.0.50 (this specific version is vulnerable)
  2. Locate the application executable and DLL search paths
    Find the full path to the TvMediaHelper executable. Use Process Explorer or Dependencies Walker while the application is running to observe which DLLs it attempts to load and from which paths.
    Affected if The application loads DLLs from directories writable by non-privileged users (such as the application directory or current working directory) before system directories
  3. Inspect application directory for suspicious DLLs
    Examine the Swisscom TVMediaHelper installation directory for any of the following DLLs that should not be there: dwmapi.dll, PROPSYS.dll, cscapi.dll, SAMLIB.dll, netbios.dll, winhttp.dll, security.dll, ntmarta.dll, WindowsCodecs.dll, apphelp.dll. These are Windows system DLLs that should normally load from System32.
    Affected if Any of these DLLs are present in the application directory (indicating potential hijacking opportunity)
  4. Check for DLL planting in user-writable locations
    Search common search-path directories (application directory, current working directory, directories in PATH) for files matching the vulnerable DLL names: dwmapi.dll, PROPSYS.dll, cscapi.dll, SAMLIB.dll, netbios.dll, winhttp.dll, security.dll, ntmarta.dll, WindowsCodecs.dll, apphelp.dll.
    Affected if These DLLs exist in directories that precede System32 in the DLL search order

A system is affected if Swisscom TVMediaHelper version 1.1.0.50 is installed and the application loads DLLs from locations that could be controlled by an attacker.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Replace relative DLL loading with absolute paths or hardcoded system paths for all DLLs, enable Safe DLL Search Mode, and/or implement DLL verification (e.g., code signing verification) before loading. If available, apply vendor patches that address this vulnerability.

Fix this in Tvmediahelper Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2018-6766 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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