CVE-2018-8311
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 remote code execution vulnerability exists when Skype for Business and Microsoft Lync clients fail to properly sanitize specially crafted content, aka "Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Skype For Business and Lync." This affects Skype, Microsoft Lync.
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 confidenceA remote code execution vulnerability exists in Skype for Business and Microsoft Lync clients due to improper sanitization of specially crafted content. An attacker could exploit this by sending specially crafted content (likely via instant messages or other communication channels) that triggers code execution on the vulnerable client.
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 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Check if Skype for Business is installedOpen Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell to list installed applications. Look for 'Skype for Business' in the list.Affected if Skype for Business appears in the installed programs list, regardless of version
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Check if Microsoft Lync is installedRun the same PowerShell command or check Programs and Features in Control Panel. Look for 'Microsoft Lync' or 'Microsoft Lync 2010' / 'Microsoft Lync 2013' entries.Affected if Microsoft Lync appears in the installed programs list, regardless of version
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Verify the installed version numberIf either product is installed, right-click the application in the Start menu and select 'Open file location', then right-click the executable and select 'Properties' > 'Details' to view the version. Alternatively, open the client, go to Help > About Microsoft Lync / Skype for Business.Affected if Any version number is displayed, confirming the client is present (all versions are affected per CVE details)
If either Microsoft Lync or Skype for Business client is installed on the system, the environment is affected by this vulnerability since all versions are impacted.
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 the relevant Microsoft security updates for Skype for Business and Lync clients to remediate the improper content sanitization vulnerability.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-8311 — 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-2018-8311 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data