Vrealize AutomationApplication · VMware
CVE-2018-6959
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 · uneditedVMware vRealize Automation (vRA) prior to 7.4.0 contains a vulnerability in the handling of session IDs. Exploitation of this issue may lead to the hijacking of a valid vRA user's session.
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 confidenceVMware vRealize Automation prior to version 7.4.0 contains a flaw in how session IDs are handled, potentially allowing an attacker to intercept or manipulate session identifiers to hijack valid user sessions. The vulnerability stems from insufficient session management controls that could permit session fixation or session prediction attacks.
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
Vrealize AutomationApplication
< 7.4.0CVSS 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:3.0/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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Verify vRealize Automation is installedCheck the installed product name and confirm it is VMware vRealize AutomationAffected if The product is VMware vRealize Automation and the installed version is below 7.4.0
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Determine the installed versionUse the product's admin console or check the version through the vRA interface (typically found in System Administration or About pages)Affected if The reported version number is lower than 7.4.0 (for example, 7.3.x, 7.2.x, etc.)
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Confirm the vulnerability is exploitableThe vulnerability requires the vRealize Automation web interface to be accessible and active. Verify if the application is currently serving user sessions.Affected if The vRA web interface is running and accepting user authentication with a version below 7.4.0
If VMware vRealize Automation is installed and the running version is below 7.4.0, the environment is affected by this session handling vulnerability.
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 · scoped7.4.0
Upgrade to VMware vRealize Automation version 7.4.0 or later to remediate the session handling vulnerability.
vRealize Automation 7.4.0 or later
- 1. Back up the vRealize Automation database and configuration
- 2. Ensure all prerequisites for version 7.4.0 are met per VMware documentation
- 3. Download VMware vRealize Automation 7.4.0 or later from VMware Customer Connect
- 4. Follow VMware's documented upgrade procedure for vRA, which typically involves upgrading the vRA appliance and components
- 5. After upgrade, verify that the session management vulnerability is resolved by confirming session IDs are properly regenerated on authentication
- 6. Test critical vRA workflows to ensure functionality is intact
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Vrealize Automation
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation12.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $13,632.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-6959 — 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-2018-6959 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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