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Full vulnerability report · 2018
CVE-2018-8414High confidence

Microsoft Windows Shell Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Microsoft · Windows

8.8HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Patch now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2022-04-15 as the remediation due date.

Patch available
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Select the national-authority views to include. The exact source language is shown on each matched advisory. Your choice is remembered on this device and encoded in the shareable URL.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2018-20051

CISA KEV mirrored by ENISA

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.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Recorded by ENISA since 25 Mar 2022. Evidence sources: cisa_kev.
ENISA score
8.8 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionPatch now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2022-04-15 as the remediation due date.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Shell does not properly validate file paths.

What

A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Shell does not properly validate file paths.

Why

The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication after a user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

What

A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Shell does not properly validate file paths.

Why

The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication after a user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Confirmed in the wild

CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2022-03-25.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Improper Input Validation → execute code or commands in the affected security context
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
Required interaction required
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-20 ↗

CWE-20: Improper Input Validation. The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UIRequiredUser interaction: Another user must perform an action for exploitation to succeed.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.
NetworkUnauthenticatedRemote code executionCWE-20CISA KEV
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-20051Known-exploited evidence recorded

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.

Official EUVD record
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
version 1709 (Server Core Installation); version 1803 (Server Core Installation); Version 1703 for 32-bit Systems; Version 1703 for x64-based Systems; Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems; Version 1709 for x64-based Systems; Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems; Version 1803 for x64-based Systems
Fixed
An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
Action
Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 15 Aug 2018 · Last source change 21 Oct 2025, 23:45 UTC · CWE-20 · Improper Input Validation

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-01
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-20051
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCISA ADP
NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates →
  1. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed from no authoritative guidance recorded to authoritative remediation link · patch.
    Before
    no authoritative guidance recorded
    After
    authoritative remediation link · patch
    af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 ↗
  2. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    version 1709 (Server Core Installation); version 1803 (Server Core Installation); Version 1703 for 32-bit Systems; Version 1703 for x64-based Systems; Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems; Version 1709 for x64-based Systems; Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems; Version 1803 for x64-based Systems · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
    After
    version 1709 (Server Core Installation); version 1803 (Server Core Installation); Version 1703 for 32-bit Systems; Version 1703 for x64-based Systems; Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems; Version 1709 for x64-based Systems; Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems; Version 1803 for x64-based Systems · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    CNA ↗
  3. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Patch available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Patch available
    af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 ↗
  4. CVSS scoreCVSS scoring authority changed from CISA ADP to NIST NVD; the displayed base score remained 8.8.
    Before
    8.8 (CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    After
    8.8 (CVSS 3.1 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    NIST NVD ↗
  5. ENISA known-exploited stateENISA EUVD now records this CVE in its known-exploited dataset.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2018-20051","listed":true,"sources":["cisa_kev"]}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  6. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2018-20051 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2018-20051"}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  7. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Added to CISA KEV
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-20051↗CISA KEV record↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2018-8414 · cve.blacktree.nl