Ios XeOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2018-0152
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA vulnerability in the web-based user interface (web UI) of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to gain elevated privileges on an affected device. The vulnerability exists because the affected software does not reset the privilege level for each web UI session. An attacker who has valid credentials for an affected device could exploit this vulnerability by remotely accessing a VTY line to the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access an affected device with the privileges of the user who previously logged in to the web UI. This vulnerability affects Cisco devices that are running a vulnerable release of Cisco IOS XE Software, if the HTTP Server feature is enabled and authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) authorization is not configured for EXEC sessions. The default state of the HTTP Server feature is version-dependent. This vulnerability was introduced in Cisco IOS XE Software Release 16.1.1. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf71769.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software's web UI fails to reset the privilege level for each session. An authenticated attacker with valid credentials accessing the device via VTY lines can inherit the privileges of a previous web UI user. The vulnerability requires the HTTP Server feature to be enabled and AAA authorization not configured for EXEC sessions.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Ios XeOperating system
= 16.1.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the IOS XE versionRun 'show version' to display the installed Cisco IOS XE Software releaseAffected if The displayed version is exactly 16.1.1
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Confirm HTTP Server is enabledReview the running configuration for 'ip http server' or 'ip http secure-server' commands, or run 'show ip http server status'Affected if The HTTP Server feature is enabled (non-secure, secure, or both)
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Check AAA authorization for EXECRun 'show aaa authorization' or examine the configuration for 'aaa authorization exec' commandsAffected if AAA authorization for EXEC sessions is NOT configured or disabled
All three conditions must be true: IOS XE version 16.1.1, HTTP Server enabled, and no AAA EXEC authorization configured - the device is only affected when all three align.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataConfigure AAA authorization for EXEC sessions, or disable the HTTP Server feature if not required. Alternatively, apply Cisco's vendor fix for CSCvf71769.
Fix this in Ios Xe
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-0152 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-0152 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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