CVE-2018-8581: Microsoft Exchange Server Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 3 Mar 2022, 1,205 days after the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 27.4%
EPSS score, percentile 98.1 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 7.4 High
CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record
- What should I do?
CISA deadline 17 Mar 2022. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected
- 2010
- 2013
- 2016
- 2019
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA due date for this action: 17 March 2022.
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 2010 |
| Affected | 2013 |
| Affected | 2016 |
| Affected | 2019 |
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Microsoft Exchange Server. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could attempt to impersonate any other user of the Exchange server.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2018-8581 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 3 Mar 2022.
- CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 17 Mar 2022.
- The CVE record was published on 14 Nov 2018, 1,205 days before it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.4 (High), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 27.4% (percentile 98.1), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Description
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Microsoft Exchange Server, aka "Microsoft Exchange Server Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Microsoft Exchange Server.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 14 Nov 2018 | CVE record published |
| 3 Mar 2022 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 17 Mar 2022 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 21 Oct 2025 | CVE record last updated |
References
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