CVE-2018-7240
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 vulnerability exists in Schneider Electric's Modicon Quantum in all versions of the communication modules which could allow arbitrary code execution. An FTP command used to upgrade the firmware of the module can be misused to cause a denial of service, or in extreme cases, to load a malicious firmware.
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 confidenceThe vulnerability exists in Schneider Electric Modicon Quantum PLC communication modules. An FTP command used for firmware upgrades can be misused, allowing an attacker to cause denial of service or potentially load malicious firmware, leading to arbitrary code execution on the industrial control device.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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 the Modicon Quantum PLC modelAccess the PLC configuration or management interface and check the CPU module model number. Look for 140cpu65150, 140cpu31110, 140cpu43412u, 140cpu65160, 140cpu65260, 140cpu65860, 140cpu65160s, or 140cpu65150c.Affected if The device is any of these eight model numbers.
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Check FTP service statusReview the PLC configuration or network services list to determine if the FTP service is enabled on the device, particularly for firmware upgrade functionality.Affected if FTP is enabled and accessible on the PLC.
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Verify firmware versionUse the PLC programming software (such as Unity Pro or EcoStruxure) or access the device management interface to retrieve the installed firmware version.Affected if The firmware version is any version (all versions are affected).
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Assess network exposureScan the network to determine if the PLC FTP port (typically port 21) is exposed beyond the management network or is accessible from unauthorized segments.Affected if The FTP service is reachable from network segments other than trusted management stations.
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Review FTP access logsExamine PLC or network firewall logs for FTP commands, particularly those related to firmware upload or upgrade operations, especially from unexpected IP addresses.Affected if Firmware upgrade FTP commands are observed from unauthorized sources.
A user is affected if they operate any of the eight listed 140cpu models and have FTP enabled for firmware upgrades, regardless of firmware version.
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-provided firmware updates when available; if no update exists, implement network segmentation to restrict FTP access to authorized management stations only, and monitor for anomalous firmware upgrade attempts.
- Consultation12.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-7240 — 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-2018-7240 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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