dbcve.org
Ios XeOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2018-0164

HIGH · 8.6 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-03-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
A vulnerability in the Switch Integrated Security Features of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an interface queue wedge. The vulnerability is due to incorrect handling of crafted IPv6 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted IPv6 packets through the device. An exploit could allow the attacker to cause an interface queue wedge. This vulnerability affects the Cisco cBR-8 Converged Broadband Router, Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers, and Cisco Cloud Services Router 1000V Series when configured with IPv6. In the field and internal testing, this vulnerability was only observed or reproduced on the Cisco cBR-8 Converged Broadband Router. The Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers and Cisco Cloud Services Router 1000V Series contain the same code logic, so affected trains have had the code fix applied; however, on these two products, the vulnerability has not been observed in the field or successfully reproduced internally. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd75185.

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 confidence

A vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software's Switch Integrated Security Features allows unauthenticated remote attackers to cause an interface queue wedge by sending crafted IPv6 packets through affected devices. The flaw stems from incorrect handling of these specially crafted IPv6 packets, leading to denial of service. Affected products include Cisco cBR-8 Converged Broadband Router, ASR 1000 Series Routers, and CSR 1000V Series when configured with IPv6.

MitigationApply the Cisco software fix for bug CSCvd75185 to affected IOS XE trains; if immediate patching is not feasible, disable IPv6 on vulnerable interfaces or implement IPv6 access control lists to filter suspicious traffic.

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
Affected:= 15.6\(2\)sp

CVSS 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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm the device runs Cisco IOS XE
    Execute 'show version' and examine the output for 'IOS XE' in the software banner
    Affected if The device does not run IOS XE (for example, runs classic IOS or IOS-XR) - this CVE only affects IOS XE
  2. Check the exact IOS XE version
    Execute 'show version' and locate the version string (typically shows as 'Version 15.6(2)sp')
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 15.6(2)sp - this is the only version listed as affected
  3. Verify IPv6 is enabled
    Execute 'show ipv6 interface brief' or 'show running-config | include ipv6' to check for IPv6 configuration
    Affected if IPv6 is actively configured or enabled on any interface - the vulnerability requires IPv6 to be present to be exploitable
  4. Confirm the device model is an affected product
    Execute 'show version' or 'show inventory' to identify the hardware model (look for cBR-8, ASR 1000, or CSR 1000V)
    Affected if The hardware model is one of: Cisco cBR-8 Converged Broadband Router, ASR 1000 Series Router, or CSR 1000V Series

The device is affected only if it runs exactly IOS XE version 15.6(2)sp, is one of the listed product models, AND has IPv6 enabled or configured.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Cisco software fix for bug CSCvd75185 to affected IOS XE trains; if immediate patching is not feasible, disable IPv6 on vulnerable interfaces or implement IPv6 access control lists to filter suspicious traffic.

Fix this in Ios Xe Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-0164 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data