CVE-2018-18435: Kioware Server

High severity, CVSS 7.8. EPSS: 1.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

KioWare Server version 4.9.6 and older installs by default to "C:\kioware_com" with weak folder permissions granting any user full permission "Everyone: (F)" to the contents of the directory and it's sub-folders. In addition, the program installs a service called "KWSService" which runs as "Localsystem", this will allow any user to escalate privileges to "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM" by substituting the service's binary with a malicious one.

Affected products

• Kioware Kioware Server: up to and including 4.9.6

Published 2019-03-21. Last modified 2026-06-17.