How severe is CVE-2018-11138?

CVE-2018-11138 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2018-11138?

Affected package information for CVE-2018-11138 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2018-11138?

No fixed version has been published for CVE-2018-11138 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates, apply mitigations recommended by the vendor, and use O3 Security to track when a fix becomes available in your stack.

Is CVE-2018-11138 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 7 known exploit references for CVE-2018-11138, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 6 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2018-11138?

CVE-2018-11138 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 93.4%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Is CVE-2018-11138 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2018-11138 (Quest KACE System Management Appliance Remote Command Execution Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-03-25. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-04-15. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. This CVE has been used in known ransomware campaigns. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2018-11138?

CVE-2018-11138 is classified as OS Command Injection (CWE-78). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2018-11138?

CVE-2018-11138 affects quest kace system management appliance (1 version, e.g. 8.0.318). Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2018-11138?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2018-11138, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2018-11138 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2018-11138 was published on May 31, 2018 and was last updated on November 5, 2025. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CISA KEV·Added 2022-03-25 — agencies required to remediate by 2022-04-15 · Ransomware

CVE-2018-11138

CRITICAL

The '/common/download_agent_installer.php' script in the Quest KACE System Management Appliance 8.0.318 is accessible by anonymous users and can be abused to execute arbitrary commands on the system.

Published

May 31, 2018

Updated

Nov 5, 2025

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

7 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

93.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk100th percentile0.00%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

Description

The '/common/download_agent_installer.php' script in the Quest KACE System Management Appliance 8.0.318 is accessible by anonymous users and can be abused to execute arbitrary commands on the system.

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

kace system management appliancequest

1 version

8.0.318

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-44950remoteunix✓ Verified

Quest KACE Systems Management - Command Injection (Metasploit)

by Metasploit · Jun 27, 2018

Exploit-DB Source

Frequently Asked Questions

The '/common/download_agent_installer.php' script in the Quest KACE System Management Appliance 8.0.318 is accessible by anonymous users and can be abused to execute arbitrary commands on the system.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2018-11138 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2018-11138 across dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

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