Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-4301 is a critical Apple Smart Card Services issue involving a potential stack-based buffer overflow. If present, it could threaten confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The source bundle states it is fixed in SCSSU-201801, but does not identify affected version ranges.
Executive priority
Treat this as urgent for environments that depend on Apple Smart Card Services. The severity is critical, but exposure scope is uncertain because the public record lacks affected version detail.
Technical view
The CVE describes CWE-120 in GemaltoKeyHandle.cpp. CVSS 3.1 is 9.8 with network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, and high CIA impact. Affected versions are unspecified in the provided record.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to environments using Apple Smart Card Services versions before the SCSSU-201801 fix. Because affected versions are unspecified, teams must validate installed package history against vendor guidance.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Risk remains high because the CVSS vector indicates remote, unauthenticated reachability and severe impact if exploitable.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: the provided record names GemaltoKeyHandle.cpp, CWE-120, SCSSU-201801, and CVSS metadata, but no root-cause detail, exploit status, or affected version range.
Mitigation direction
- Apply SCSSU-201801 or a later vendor-confirmed fixed release.
- Check the Smart Card Services security page for current vendor guidance.
- Prioritize systems where Smart Card Services is installed or required.
- Remove or disable unused Smart Card Services components where operationally safe.
Validation and detection
- Inventory hosts with Apple Smart Card Services installed.
- Confirm whether SCSSU-201801 or later is present.
- Document any systems with unspecified or unverifiable versions.
- Review vendor advisories before declaring affected systems remediated.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-120: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-4301 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://smartcardservices.github.io/security/CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')
Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.