CVE-2018-6693 | Endpoint Security for Linux Threat Prevention (ENSLTP) privilege escalation vulnerability

An unprivileged user can delete arbitrary files on a Linux system running ENSLTP 10.5.1, 10.5.0, and 10.2.3 Hotfix 1246778 and earlier. By exploiting a time of check to time of use (TOCTOU) race condition during a specific scanning sequence, the unprivileged user is able to perform a privilege escalation to delete arbitrary files.

Published: 2018-09-18 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2018-6693 is rated Low Risk (24.2/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.03%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2018-6693

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-01-28 0.08% 0.03% -0.05%
2 2025-11-21 0.03% 0.08% +0.05%
3 2025-11-18 0.03%

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2018-6693

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.3 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
1.0 4.2 [email protected]
5.6 3.0 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
1.3 4.2 [email protected]
3.3 2.0 LOW
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:L)
Requires local access to the target system.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
3.4 4.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2018-6693

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2018-6693

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
mcafee endpoint_security_for_linux_threat_prevention <= 10.2.3 cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security_for_linux_threat_prevention:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
mcafee endpoint_security_for_linux_threat_prevention 10.5.1 cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security_for_linux_threat_prevention:10.5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
mcafee endpoint_security_linux_threat_prevention 10.5.0 cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:endpoint_security_linux_threat_prevention:10.5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2018-6693

cvelogic Threat Intelligence