dbcve.org
Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 15 Apr 2022.
Windows 10 1703Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2018-8414

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-08-15
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Patch available

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
A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Shell does not properly validate file paths, aka "Windows Shell Remote Code Execution Vulnerability." This affects Windows 10 Servers, Windows 10.

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 confidence

A high-severity remote code execution vulnerability exists in the Windows Shell component due to improper validation of file paths. An attacker could exploit this by crafting malicious file paths that bypass validation checks, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution on the affected system. The vulnerability affects Windows 10 and Windows 10 Servers.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2018-8414 to all affected Windows 10 and Windows 10 Server systems. Until patched, restrict file handling privileges and monitor for suspicious file path interactions with the Windows Shell.

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
Windows 10 1703Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1709Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1803Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 1709Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 1803Operating system
Affected:all versions

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Check Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt, or use PowerShell: Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsVersion, OsVersion
    Affected if The displayed version is 1703, 1709, or 1803 (for Windows 10) or 1709/1803 (for Windows Server)
  2. Confirm build number
    Run 'winver' and note the build number (for example, Build 17134)
    Affected if The build number falls within the range for Windows 10 versions 1703, 1709, or 1803, or Windows Server versions 1709 or 1803
  3. Check if Shell is the execution vector
    This vulnerability affects Windows Shell processing of file paths. Verify normal user interaction with files and folders is possible on the system
    Affected if Users can open files or browse to directories, which is the typical behavior required for exploitation

Your system is affected if it runs Windows 10 version 1703, 1709, or 1803, or Windows Server version 1709 or 1803, and the corresponding security update for CVE-2018-8414 has not been applied.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch portal.msrc.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2018-8414 to all affected Windows 10 and Windows 10 Server systems. Until patched, restrict file handling privileges and monitor for suspicious file path interactions with the Windows Shell.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 version 1903 or later, or Windows Server 2019/2022

  1. 1. Identify all systems running Windows 10 versions 1703, 1709, or 1803, or Windows Server versions 1709 or 1803.
  2. 2. Verify current Windows version by opening Settings > System > About, or running 'winver' command.
  3. 3. Backup critical data on affected systems before any upgrade.
  4. 4. Upgrade to a supported Windows 10 release (1903 or later) or Windows Server 2019/2022.
  5. 5. For enterprise environments, use Windows Update for Business, WSUS, or Microsoft Intune to deploy the upgrade to managed devices.
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the system is running a supported version by checking 'winver'.
  7. 7. Confirm the vulnerability is addressed by ensuring the system is fully patched with latest security updates.
Caveat Upgrading from older Windows 10 versions may require adequate disk space and may affect installed applications; verify application compatibility before deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 10 1703 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,900
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,040.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-8414 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2018-8414 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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