CVE DatabaseCVE-2019-18988
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CVE-2019-189887.0/HIGHCISA KEVCWE-521CWE-521

TeamViewer Hardcoded Shared AES Key Credential Decryption and Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2019-18988)

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Affected Vendors
teamviewer
Affected Components
teamviewer
Published Date
2020-02-07
CVSS v3.1
7.0
HIGH
EPSS (30d)
4.7%
FIRST.org
CISA KEV
Exploited

Executive & SecOps Summary

SECOPS ASSESSMENT
Affected Scope

TeamViewer Desktop versions v7.0.43148 through v14.7.1965.

Impact

Attackers can decrypt stored OptionsPasswordAES and Unattended Access passwords using a globally shared, hardcoded AES key, leading to unauthorized remote login and full system takeover.

Mitigation

Immediately uninstall affected legacy versions and upgrade to the latest secure TeamViewer release.

Affected Products & Version Scope

All TeamViewer Desktop installations from version v7.0.43148 through v14.7.1965 utilizing registry-based credential storage.

Remediation & Live Workaround Commands

PATCH & WORKAROUND

1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands

The primary remediation is to completely purge the vulnerable legacy TeamViewer client and install the latest secure version. Execute the following PowerShell commands to automate this process:

powershell
# 1. Terminate and uninstall vulnerable TeamViewer instances
Stop-Process -Name 'TeamViewer' -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$app = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object { $_.Name -like '*TeamViewer*' }
if ($app) { $app.Uninstall() }

# 2. Download and perform a silent installation of the latest secure version
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri 'https://download.teamviewer.com/download/TeamViewer_Setup.exe' -OutFile '$env:TEMP\TeamViewer_Setup.exe'
Start-Process -FilePath '$env:TEMP\TeamViewer_Setup.exe' -ArgumentList '/S' -Wait

2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration

If an immediate upgrade is not feasible, mitigate the risk by deleting the vulnerable registry keys containing the encrypted credentials to prevent local decryption attacks.

powershell
# Forcefully remove vulnerable encrypted password registry values
Remove-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\TeamViewer' -Name 'OptionsPasswordAES' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\TeamViewer' -Name 'SecurityPasswordAES' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\TeamViewer' -Name 'OptionsPasswordAES' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\TeamViewer' -Name 'SecurityPasswordAES' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands

Use this script to audit the system for vulnerable TeamViewer installations and identify if any exposed credential keys exist in the registry.

powershell
# Audit script to detect vulnerable TeamViewer versions and registry keys
$tvPath = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\TeamViewer'
if (Test-Path $tvPath) {
    $version = (Get-ItemProperty -Path $tvPath -Name 'Version' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Version
    Write-Host 'Detected TeamViewer Version: ' $version
    
    $hasOptionsPwd = (Get-ItemProperty -Path $tvPath -Name 'OptionsPasswordAES' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
    if ($hasOptionsPwd) {
        Write-Warning '[WARNING] Vulnerable OptionsPasswordAES registry key is present! Immediate remediation required.'
    } else {
        Write-Host '[OK] No vulnerable OptionsPasswordAES key found in Wow6432Node.' -ForegroundColor Green
    }
} else {
    Write-Host '[OK] TeamViewer registry path not found.' -ForegroundColor Green
}
Interactive SecOps Remediation Checklist
0/4 (0%)
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Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics

1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause

This vulnerability (CVE-2019-18988) arises because TeamViewer Desktop clients utilize a globally shared, static AES encryption key across all customer installations to protect sensitive configuration credentials. This hardcoded key has been in use since at least version v7.0.43148 up to v14.7.1965, encrypting parameters such as OptionsPasswordAES and legacy Unattended Access passwords within the Windows Registry.

2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario

An attacker with local non-administrative access can query the registry path HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\TeamViewer to retrieve the encrypted ciphertext of the passwords. By leveraging the known static AES key extracted from the TeamViewer binaries, the attacker can instantly decrypt the ciphertext into plaintext. Furthermore, if registry backups or configuration files are exposed on network shares or cloud storage, an external attacker can decrypt these credentials offline without requiring an active local session.

3. Infrastructure & Business Impact

Successful decryption of the Unattended Access password grants the attacker full remote control over the target endpoint, including headless file browsing and remote command execution. Because this vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild (listed in CISA KEV), unpatched legacy TeamViewer installations pose an immediate threat of lateral movement and ransomware deployment within enterprise networks.

Official Vendor Advisories & References

NVD Original English Description

TeamViewer Desktop through 14.7.1965 allows a bypass of remote-login access control because the same key is used for different customers' installations. It used a shared AES key for all installations since at least as far back as v7.0.43148, and used it for at least OptionsPasswordAES in the current version of the product. If an attacker were to know this key, they could decrypt protect information stored in the registry or configuration files of TeamViewer. With versions before v9.x , this allowed for attackers to decrypt the Unattended Access password to the system (which allows for remote login to the system as well as headless file browsing). The latest version still uses the same key for OptionPasswordAES but appears to have changed how the Unattended Access password is stored. While in most cases an attacker requires an existing session on a system, if the registry/configuration keys were stored off of the machine (such as in a file share or online), an attacker could then decrypt the required password to login to the system.

Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2019-18988)

FAQ

Q1. How critical is CVE-2019-18988 and is it actively exploited in the wild?

CVE-2019-18988 is rated CVSS 7.0 (HIGH) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 4.7%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.

Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2019-18988?

Primary impacted vendors include teamviewer across teamviewer. Scope summary: All TeamViewer Desktop installations from version v7.0.43148 through v14.7.1965 utilizing registry-based credential storage.

Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2019-18988 before patching?

[Mitigation] Immediately uninstall affected legacy versions and upgrade to the latest secure TeamViewer release. Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.

SECOPS WORKBENCH INTEGRATION

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CVE-2019-18988 TeamViewer Hardcoded Shared AES Key Credential Decryption and Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2019-18988) (CVSS 7.0) - Patch & Workaround | CVE Pulse