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CVE-2018-14665

57
FAUCET Score

CVE-2018-14665 describes a privilege escalation flaw in xorg-x11-server versions prior to 1.20.3, impacting Canonical, Debian, Red Hat, and X.Org distributions. This vulnerability allows unprivileged users with physical console access to execute arbitrary code with root privileges due to incorrect permission checks on the -modulepath and -logfile options. With a CVSS score of 6.6 (MEDIUM), it requires physical access and low privileges but can lead to full compromise (confidentiality, integrity, availability). While not listed in CISA's KEV catalog, multiple Metasploit modules and ExploitDB entries confirm readily available exploit code, and it has garnered significant community discussion and media coverage, indicating active awareness and potential for exploitation.

Impacted Technologies

VendorProductVersion(s)CPE
< 1.20.3CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:x.org:x_server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
7.0CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
7.0CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
7.6CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
7.6CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_eus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

CVSS Data

CVSS version used by this source: 3.0

6.6MEDIUM

CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
PHYSICAL
Attack Complexity
LOW
Privileges Required
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact
HIGH
Integrity Impact
HIGH
Availability Impact
HIGH
Exploitability Score
0.7
Impact Score
5.9
CvssVersion
3.0

Exploit Intelligence

EPSS Score
27.04%
Probability of exploitation in next 30 days
EPSS Percentile
97.8%
Percentile rank of EPSS score among Peer Group
As of 2026-07-25
Model: v2026.06.15
Metasploit: Xorg X11 Server Local Privilege Escalation · Oct 25, 2018
ExploitDB: EDB-47701 · Nov 20, 2019
This CVE's current EPSS score of 0.2704 is in the 100th percentile among its peer group of 170 CVEs.

Social Chatter

The average CVE in this peer group has 0.0 Twitter, 0.1 Reddit, 0.0 Bluesky, 0.0 Mastodon, and 0.1 GitHub mentions.

Media Mentions

The average CVE in this peer group has 0.3 InfoSec Media, 0.0 Vendor Blog, and 0.0 Security Researcher mentions.

Remediation

Patch Available

Vendor Patches (2)

redhatpatch availablevia nvd_reference
View patch
redhatpatch availablevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7Fixed in: xorg-x11-server-0:1.20.1-5.1.el7
View patch

Vendor Advisories (1)

redhatCVE-2018-14665Important

xorg-x11-server: Incorrect permission check in Xorg X server allows for privilege escalation

Oct 25, 2018

References

packetstormsecurity.com / files/154942/Xorg-X11-Server-SUID-modulepath-Privilege-Escalation.html
packetstormsecurity.com / files/155276/Xorg-X11-Server-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html
access.redhat.com / errata/RHSA-2018:3410
Third Party Advisory
bugzilla.redhat.com / show_bug.cgi
Issue TrackingPatchThird Party Advisory
gitlab.freedesktop.org / xorg/xserver/commit/50c0cf885a6e91c0ea71fb49fa8f1b7c86fe330e
PatchThird Party Advisory
gitlab.freedesktop.org / xorg/xserver/commit/8a59e3b7dbb30532a7c3769c555e00d7c4301170
PatchThird Party Advisory
lists.x.org / archives/xorg-announce/2018-October/002927.html
MitigationPatchVendor Advisory
security.gentoo.org / glsa/201810-09
Third Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.com / 3802-1
Third Party Advisory
debian.org / security/2018/dsa-4328
Third Party Advisory
exploit-db.com / exploits/45697
ExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
exploit-db.com / exploits/45742
ExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
exploit-db.com / exploits/45832
ExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
exploit-db.com / exploits/45908
ExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
exploit-db.com / exploits/45922
ExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
exploit-db.com / exploits/45938
ExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
exploit-db.com / exploits/46142
ExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
securepatterns.com / 2018/10/cve-2018-14665-xorg-x-server.html
ExploitThird Party Advisory
securityfocus.com / bid/105741
Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
securitytracker.com / id/1041948
Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry