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Ios XeOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2018-0182

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-03-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.3.1 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Multiple vulnerabilities in the CLI parser of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to inject arbitrary commands into the CLI of the affected software, which could allow the attacker to gain access to the underlying Linux shell of an affected device and execute commands with root privileges on the device. The vulnerabilities exist because the affected software does not sufficiently sanitize command arguments before passing commands to the Linux shell for execution. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by submitting a malicious CLI command to the affected software. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to break from the CLI of the affected software, which could allow the attacker to gain access to the underlying Linux shell on an affected device and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the device. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCuz03145, CSCuz56419, CSCva31971, CSCvb09542.

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

Command injection vulnerabilities in the CLI parser of Cisco IOS XE Software allow an authenticated, local attacker to escape the CLI and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the underlying Linux shell by submitting malicious CLI commands that are not properly sanitized before being passed to the shell for execution.

MitigationApply the Cisco IOS XE software updates that address these vulnerabilities; until patches are applied, strictly limit CLI access to trusted, authorized personnel only.

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:< 16.3.1

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the product platform
    Execute 'show version' or 'show platform' in the CLI and look for 'IOS XE' in the output
    Affected if The output does not indicate Cisco IOS XE (for example, shows classic IOS, IOS-XR, or NX-OS) - the system is not affected by this specific CVE
  2. Determine the IOS XE version
    Run 'show version' and locate the version string (typically in the format 16.x.x or lower)
    Affected if The version is 16.2.x or earlier, or any version below 16.3.1 - the system falls within the affected range
  3. Confirm CLI access method
    Check if the device provides CLI access via console, telnet, or SSH. Run 'show users' to see active CLI sessions.
    Affected if CLI access exists - an authenticated local attacker with CLI access can attempt exploitation; if no CLI access is possible, the attack surface does not exist
  4. Check for existing shell escape
    Attempt to determine if the underlying Linux shell is accessible by an authenticated user via the CLI. This may be observed through auditing logs or known methods on the device.
    Affected if Users can escape the IOS XE CLI to reach the underlying Linux shell - this confirms the vulnerable condition is present

A system is affected if it runs Cisco IOS XE version 16.2.x or lower (below 16.3.1) and provides CLI access to untrusted or compromised local users.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 16.3.1 or later
Fixed in 16.3.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the Cisco IOS XE software updates that address these vulnerabilities; until patches are applied, strictly limit CLI access to trusted, authorized personnel only.

Fix this in Ios Xe Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

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-2018-0182 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