CVE-2018-8581
Published: March 3, 2022
Official Description
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Microsoft Exchange Server. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could attempt to impersonate any other user of the Exchange server.
CISA KEV Advisory
Microsoft Exchange Server Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Microsoft Exchange Server. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could attempt to impersonate any other user of the Exchange server.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Risk Analysis
This privilege escalation vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange Server allows an attacker to impersonate any other user on the server. It is a high-severity issue with a very high EPSS score of 0.91500, indicating a high likelihood of exploitation, and is confirmed to be actively exploited.
Active exploitation of this vulnerability has been observed in the wild. Successful exploitation allows for impersonation of other Exchange server users.
Administrators should apply the latest security updates for Microsoft Exchange Server to mitigate this privilege escalation vulnerability.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2018-8581 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
CISA has added CVE-2018-8581 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (1)
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2018-8581 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
- !CISA KEV: Federal agencies must patch per BOD 22-01 timeline
- !Active exploitation confirmed — treat as P1