CVE-2018-6671 in ePolicy Orchestrator
Summary
by MITRE
Application Protection Bypass vulnerability in McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) 5.3.0 through 5.3.3 and 5.9.0 through 5.9.1 allows remote authenticated users to bypass localhost only access security protection for some ePO features via a specially crafted HTTP request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/10/2025
The CVE-2018-6671 vulnerability represents a critical application protection bypass flaw within McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator versions 5.3.0 through 5.3.3 and 5.9.0 through 5.9.1. This vulnerability specifically targets the security mechanisms designed to restrict access to certain ePO features, which should only be accessible from localhost or the same machine. The flaw allows remote authenticated attackers to circumvent these local access controls, effectively granting them unauthorized access to protected administrative functions. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of HTTP request headers and parameters that should have enforced strict localhost-only access restrictions. This issue falls under the CWE-284 access control weakness category, specifically addressing insufficient access control mechanisms that permit unauthorized access to restricted resources.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of HTTP request parameters and headers that are typically used to verify the source of incoming requests. Attackers can craft specially formatted HTTP requests that appear to originate from localhost while actually being transmitted from remote locations. This manipulation exploits a design flaw in the ePO's request validation logic where the system fails to properly verify the actual source address of incoming requests. The vulnerability specifically affects administrative interfaces and sensitive configuration features that should be restricted to local system access only, including database access points, system configuration settings, and administrative APIs. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of improper input validation and source address verification, where the application trusts the client-provided information without proper verification against actual network connections.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-6671 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can potentially lead to complete system compromise and data exfiltration. Remote authenticated attackers who exploit this vulnerability can gain access to sensitive organizational data stored within the ePO environment, including system configurations, user credentials, and potentially access to underlying databases. The vulnerability's classification under the MITRE ATT&CK framework places it within the privilege escalation and persistence categories, as attackers can use this access to establish backdoors, modify system configurations, and maintain long-term access to the compromised environment. Organizations utilizing affected ePO versions face significant risk of unauthorized administrative access, which could result in complete system takeover, data breaches, and regulatory compliance violations. The vulnerability affects enterprise environments where ePO is used for centralized security management, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on this platform for critical security operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-6671 primarily focus on immediate remediation through official patches provided by McAfee. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to ePO versions 5.3.4 or 5.9.2, which contain the necessary security fixes addressing the access control bypass. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to ePO servers, particularly limiting direct network access to administrative interfaces. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict HTTP header validation, monitoring for suspicious request patterns, and establishing robust logging mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any unauthorized access that may have occurred prior to patching. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and source address verification in security-critical applications, emphasizing the need for defense-in-depth strategies that include both network-level controls and application-level protections. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems specifically configured to monitor for exploitation attempts targeting similar access control bypass vulnerabilities.