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[ CVE-2018-0171 · Published 28 Mar 2018 ]

Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Smart Install Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Exploited · CISA KEV CVSS 9.8 EPSS 99%No fix listed yet

[ Why it matters ]Priority signals

  • Exploited in the wild: on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list since 2021-11-03
  • EPSS: 99% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (higher than 100% of CVEs)
  • Critical severity: CVSS 9.8

[ Description ]Official description

A vulnerability in the Smart Install feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition, or to execute arbitrary code on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of packet data. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted Smart Install message to an affected device on TCP port 4786. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a buffer overflow on the affected device, which could have the following impacts: Triggering a reload of the device, Allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the device, Causing an indefinite loop on the affected device that triggers a watchdog crash. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvg76186.

CISA: Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software improperly validates packet data, allowing an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition, or perform code execution on the affected device.

[ Fixes ]Fixes and patches

CISA required action (US federal deadline 3 May 2022): Apply updates per vendor instructions.

No fix or interim patch is linked from our sources yet. Check the vendor references below and limit exposure of affected systems until a fix is available.

[ References ]References