What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-1821?

CVE-2018-1821 has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 9.1 (Critical). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 15.8%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2018-1821?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2018-1821. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 15.8%.

Operational Decision Manager CVE-2018-1821

CRITICAL

Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (CWE-611)

2018-12-13 psirt@us.ibm.com

IBM XXE Operational Decision Manager

9.1

CVSS 3.0 · NVD

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Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-611 OWASP Top 10:2025 A02:2025 - Security Misconfiguration ASVS 5.0 V13 - Configuration XML external entity prevention MITRE ATT&CK 2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. Sign in to read
Impact	CVSS score of 9.1 (CRITICAL). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction not required. Public proof-of-concept exploit code is available.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	A remote attacker could read arbitrary files or perform SSRF through XML processing by sending crafted requests to the affected application. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL + active threat signals, no patch available.

No patch listed yet 15.8% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

IBM Operational Decision Management 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, and 8.9 is vulnerable to a XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Disable external entity processing in XML parsers, use JSON instead of XML where possible.

Affects your stack

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Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as XML External Entity (XXE) (CWE-611), which allows attackers to read arbitrary files or perform SSRF through XML processing. IBM Operational Decision Management 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, and 8.9 is vulnerable to a XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or consume memory resources. IBM X-Force ID: 150170. Affected products include: Ibm Operational Decision Manager.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 9.1 CRITICAL

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

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

None

Availability

High

DescriptionNVD

IBM Operational Decision Management 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, and 8.9 is vulnerable to a XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or consume memory resources. IBM X-Force ID: 150170.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

15.8%

Top 4% exploitable

Exploit

POC

Public exploit code exists

Data Quality

3 sources

Confidence: Low

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

Exploit-DB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity CRITICAL

CISA KEV No

Public POC Yes

EPSS 15.8%

Patch available No

Active threat Yes

Deciding rule

CRITICAL + active threat signals, no patch available

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.