How severe is CVE-2018-14665?

CVE-2018-14665 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.6, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-14665 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 27% (98th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-14665?

CVE-2018-14665 primarily affects Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop. In total, 11 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-14665?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2018-14665 published?

CVE-2018-14665 was published on 2018-10-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-14665

CVE-2018-14665 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.6. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 27% places it in the 98th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-863.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.6)
CVSS v2: 7.2
EPSS exploit prediction: 27% (98th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-863
Affected product: Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop
Published: 2018-10-25
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A flaw was found in xorg-x11-server before 1.20.3. An incorrect permission check for -modulepath and -logfile options when starting Xorg. X server allows unprivileged users with the ability to log in to the system via physical console to escalate their privileges and run arbitrary code under root privileges.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-14665?: A flaw was found in xorg-x11-server before 1.20.3. An incorrect permission check for -modulepath and -logfile options when starting Xorg. X server allows unprivileged users with the ability to log in to the system via physical console to escalate their privileges and run arbitrary code under root privileges.
How severe is CVE-2018-14665?: CVE-2018-14665 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.6, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-14665 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 27% (98th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-14665?: CVE-2018-14665 primarily affects Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop. In total, 11 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-14665?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-14665 published?: CVE-2018-14665 was published on 2018-10-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (11)

cpe:2.3:a:x.org:x_server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_eus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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