CVE-2018-14665

MEDIUMEPSS 98th pctl

6.6

CVSS v3

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.

CWE-863Incorrect Authorization

How to fix

Remediation Available

xorg-serverDebian

Fixed in:2:1.20.3-1CVE-2018-14665

xorg-serverUbuntu

Fixed in:2:1.19.6-1ubuntu4.2USN-3802-1

xorg-server-hwe-16.04Ubuntu

Fixed in:2:1.19.6-1ubuntu4.1~16.04.2USN-3802-1

xserver-xorg-coreUbuntu

Fixed in:2:1.19.6-1ubuntu4.2USN-3802-1

xserver-xorg-core-hwe-16.04Ubuntu

Fixed in:2:1.19.6-1ubuntu4.1~16.04.2USN-3802-1

TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorPhysical

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges RequiredLow

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

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

Exploit Intelligence

27.04%probability of exploitation in 30 days

98thpercentile

Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 98% of all known CVEs.

References

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVE	Severity	CVSS	EPSS	Exploited	Fix
CVE-2023-22518	Critical	9.8	100%	KEV + Ransom	Fix
CVE-2023-38035	Critical	9.8	100%	KEV + Ransom	-
CVE-2022-46169	Critical	9.8	100%	KEV	Fix
CVE-2024-38856	Critical	9.8	99%	KEV	Fix
CVE-2025-29927	Critical	9.1	99%	-	Fix
CVE-2020-36289	Medium	5.3	99%	-	Fix

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2018-14665?

Published advisories record a fix for 5 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.

Is CVE-2018-14665 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2018-14665 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 27.0% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 98% of all scored CVEs.

How severe is CVE-2018-14665?

CVE-2018-14665 has a CVSS v3 base score of 6.6, rated medium. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

What does CVE-2018-14665 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for xorg-server (Debian), xorg-server (Ubuntu), xorg-server-hwe-16.04 (Ubuntu), xserver-xorg-core (Ubuntu), and 1 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

Embed a live status badge for CVE-2018-14665

Markdown

[![CVE-2018-14665](https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2018-14665.svg)](https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2018-14665)

HTML

<a href="https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2018-14665"><img src="https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2018-14665.svg" alt="CVE-2018-14665"></a>

Find and fix vulnerabilities across your fleet

TridentStack Control continuously scans your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet for known vulnerabilities, prioritizes them by severity and active exploitation, and patches them automatically.

See how it works Start freeThis CVE lookup is free and always will be.

This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-08-29.