📄 Description (English)
Quest KACE System Management Appliance Remote Command Execution Vulnerability — The '/common/download_agent_installer.php' script in the Quest KACE System Management Appliance is accessible by anonymous users and can be abused to perform remote code execution.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2018-11138 is a critical remote command execution vulnerability in Quest KACE System Management Appliance that allows anonymous (unauthenticated) users to execute arbitrary commands via the '/common/download_agent_installer.php' script. With a CVSS score of 9.0 and publicly available exploits, this vulnerability poses an immediate threat to any organization using Quest KACE for endpoint management. The unauthenticated nature of the attack vector makes it extremely dangerous, as no credentials are required for exploitation. Organizations should patch immediately as active exploitation is likely given the public exploit availability.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 9, 2026 23:36
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
Quest KACE System Management Appliance is widely used across Saudi enterprises for IT asset management and endpoint deployment. Government entities regulated by NCA, banking institutions under SAMA oversight, and large enterprises including energy sector companies (ARAMCO, SABIC) and telecom providers (STC, Mobily, Zain) that use Quest KACE for managing their IT infrastructure are at significant risk. Successful exploitation grants attackers remote code execution on the management appliance, which typically has broad network access and administrative credentials for managed endpoints, potentially leading to full network compromise. Healthcare organizations and educational institutions in Saudi Arabia that rely on centralized IT management tools are also vulnerable.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government
Banking
Energy
Telecom
Healthcare
Education
Retail
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
Immediate Actions:
1. Identify all Quest KACE System Management Appliance instances in your environment immediately.
2. Restrict network access to the KACE appliance web interface — block anonymous access to '/common/download_agent_installer.php' via firewall rules or WAF.
3. Place KACE appliances behind VPN or restrict access to trusted management networks only.
Patching Guidance:
4. Apply the latest Quest KACE patches and firmware updates from Quest's official security advisories.
5. Upgrade to a patched version of Quest KACE SMA that addresses this vulnerability.
Compensating Controls:
6. If immediate patching is not possible, disable or restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint using web server configuration.
7. Implement network segmentation to isolate the KACE appliance from untrusted networks.
8. Enable comprehensive logging on the KACE appliance and monitor for suspicious access patterns.
Detection Rules:
9. Create IDS/IPS signatures to detect HTTP requests to '/common/download_agent_installer.php' from unauthorized sources.
10. Monitor web server logs for unusual requests to the vulnerable endpoint.
11. Deploy SIEM rules to alert on command execution patterns originating from the KACE appliance.
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع أجهزة Quest KACE لإدارة الأنظمة في بيئتك فوراً.
2. تقييد الوصول الشبكي إلى واجهة الويب لجهاز KACE — حظر الوصول المجهول إلى '/common/download_agent_installer.php' عبر قواعد جدار الحماية أو WAF.
3. وضع أجهزة KACE خلف VPN أو تقييد الوصول إلى شبكات الإدارة الموثوقة فقط.
إرشادات التصحيح:
4. تطبيق أحدث تصحيحات Quest KACE وتحديثات البرامج الثابتة من إرشادات الأمان الرسمية لـ Quest.
5. الترقية إلى إصدار مصحح من Quest KACE SMA يعالج هذه الثغرة.
الضوابط التعويضية:
6. إذا لم يكن التصحيح الفوري ممكناً، قم بتعطيل أو تقييد الوصول إلى نقطة النهاية الضعيفة باستخدام تكوين خادم الويب.
7. تنفيذ تجزئة الشبكة لعزل جهاز KACE عن الشبكات غير الموثوقة.
8. تمكين التسجيل الشامل على جهاز KACE ومراقبة أنماط الوصول المشبوهة.
قواعد الكشف:
9. إنشاء توقيعات IDS/IPS للكشف عن طلبات HTTP إلى '/common/download_agent_installer.php' من مصادر غير مصرح بها.
10. مراقبة سجلات خادم الويب للطلبات غير العادية إلى نقطة النهاية الضعيفة.
11. نشر قواعد SIEM للتنبيه على أنماط تنفيذ الأوامر الصادرة من جهاز KACE.
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
2-3-1 (Vulnerability Management)
2-3-4 (Patch Management)
2-5-1 (Network Security)
2-2-1 (Access Control)
🔵 SAMA CSF
3.3.3 (Vulnerability Management)
3.3.4 (Patch Management)
3.1.1 (Cybersecurity Risk Management)
3.3.7 (Network Security Management)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.8.8 (Management of technical vulnerabilities)
A.8.9 (Configuration management)
A.8.20 (Networks security)
A.8.22 (Segregation of networks)
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0
6.3.3 (Patching security vulnerabilities)
6.4.1 (Public-facing web applications protection)
11.3 (Penetration testing)
1.3 (Network access controls)
🔗 References & Sources 0
No references.
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
Quest:KACE System Management Appliance