HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-12243
HIGH

CVE-2018-12243

CWE-611Published: September 19, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

8.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The Symantec Messaging Gateway product prior to 10.6.6 may be susceptible to a XML external entity (XXE) exploit, which is a type of issue where XML input containing a reference to an external entity is processed by a weakly configured XML parser. The attack uses file URI schemes or relative paths in the system identifier to access files that should not normally be accessible.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-12243 requires adjacent network access, limiting remote exploitation but still posing risk in shared or local network environments.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 8.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorAdjacent
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

symantec1 product(s)
messaging gateway
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105330
ADVISORYhttps://support.symantec.com/en_US/article.SYMSA1461.html
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105330
ADVISORYhttps://support.symantec.com/en_US/article.SYMSA1461.html

All References (4)

→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105330Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://support.symantec.com/en_US/article.SYMSA1461.htmlMitigation · Vendor Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105330Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://support.symantec.com/en_US/article.SYMSA1461.htmlMitigation · Vendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-12243
CVSS Score8.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-611
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedSep 19, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-611)

CVE-2015-9280
10.0
CVE-2018-1000652
10.0
CVE-2023-38490
10.0
CVE-2018-1000644
10.0
CVE-2018-1000651
10.0
CVE-2018-1000124
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-12243 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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