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CVE-2019-18988

7.0 · HIGHActively Exploited

TeamViewer Desktop through 14.7.1965 allows a bypass of remote-login access control because the same key is used for different customers' installations.

Published Feb 7, 2020CWE-521EPSS 4.71%

Overview

CVE-2019-18988 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on February 7, 2020 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.0 (HIGH). This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild.

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.0, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical description

TeamViewer Desktop through 14.7.1965 allows a bypass of remote-login access control because the same key is used for different customers' installations. It used a shared AES key for all installations since at least as far back as v7.0.43148, and used it for at least OptionsPasswordAES in the current version of the product. If an attacker were to know this key, they could decrypt protect information stored in the registry or configuration files of TeamViewer. With versions before v9.x , this allowed for attackers to decrypt the Unattended Access password to the system (which allows for remote login to the system as well as headless file browsing). The latest version still uses the same key for OptionPasswordAES but appears to have changed how the Unattended Access password is stored. While in most cases an attacker requires an existing session on a system, if the registry/configuration keys were stored off of the machine (such as in a file share or online), an attacker could then decryp

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

References

Refcommunity.teamviewer.com/t5/Announcements/Specification-on-CVE-2019-18988/td-p/82264Refcommunity.teamviewer.com/t5/Knowledge-Base/tkb-p/Knowledgebase?threadtype=label&labels=SecurityReftwitter.com/Blurbdust/status/1224212682594770946?s=20Refwhynotsecurity.com/blog/teamviewer/Refcommunity.teamviewer.com/t5/Announcements/Specification-on-CVE-2019-18988/td-p/82264Refcommunity.teamviewer.com/t5/Knowledge-Base/tkb-p/Knowledgebase?threadtype=label&labels=SecurityReftwitter.com/Blurbdust/status/1224212682594770946?s=20Refwhynotsecurity.com/blog/teamviewer/CISAwww.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-18988

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-18988?

CVE-2019-18988 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on February 7, 2020 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.0 (HIGH). This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2019-18988?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.0, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2019-18988?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2019-18988?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2019-18988 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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