Is CVE-2018-6686 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2018-6686 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2018-6686 be exploited remotely?

No. CVE-2018-6686 requires physical access to exploit.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-6686?

CVE-2018-6686 has a CVSS score of 6.6 (MEDIUM).

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MEDIUM

CVE-2018-6686

CWE-287Published: July 27, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

6.6

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Authentication Bypass vulnerability in TPM autoboot in McAfee Drive Encryption (MDE) 7.1.0 and above allows physically proximate attackers to bypass local security protection via specific set of circumstances.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-6686 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

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 6.6.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-287): Authentication bypass vulnerabilities allow attackers to access protected resources without valid credentials.