HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-14608
HIGH

CVE-2018-14608

CWE-311Published: July 26, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Thomson Reuters UltraTax CS 2017 on Windows has a password protection option; however, the level of protection might be inconsistent with some customers' expectations because the data is directly accessible in cleartext. Specifically, it stores customer data in unique directories (%install_path%\WinCSI\UT17DATA\client_ID\file_name.XX17) that can be bypassed without authentication by examining the strings of the .XX17 file. The strings stored in the .XX17 file contain each customer's: Full Name, Spouse's Name, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Occupation, Home Address, Daytime Phone Number, Home Phone Number, Spouse's Address, Spouse's Daytime Phone Number, Spouse's Social Security Number, Spouse's Home Phone Number, Spouse's Occupation, Spouse's Date of Birth, and Spouse's Filing Status.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-14608 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

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), with a CVSS base score of 7.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

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

Affected Vendors & Products

Microsoft1 product(s)
windows
thomsonreuters1 product(s)
ultratax cs
Source: NVD CPE · 2 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
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Official Patches & Advisories

All References (4)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-14608
CVSS Score7.5 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-311
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedJul 26, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-311)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2018-14608 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.