Ios XeOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2018-0184
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 CLI parser of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain access to the underlying Linux shell of an affected device and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the device. The vulnerability is due to the affected software improperly sanitizing command arguments to prevent access to internal data structures on a device. An attacker who has privileged EXEC mode (privilege level 15) access to an affected device could exploit this vulnerability on the device by executing CLI commands that contain crafted arguments. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain access to the underlying Linux shell of the affected device and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the device. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve74432.
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 confidenceThis is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the CLI parser of Cisco IOS XE Software where improper sanitization of command arguments allows an authenticated attacker with privilege level 15 to escape the CLI and access the underlying Linux shell with root privileges. The attacker leverages crafted arguments in CLI commands to access internal data structures.
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
>= 16.3, < 16.3.6>= 16.6, < 16.6.2< 3.8.6e< 3.13.9s< 3.16.7sCVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 Cisco IOS XE versionRun 'show version' or 'show version | include Version' command to display the installed IOS XE software versionAffected if The displayed version falls within these ranges: >= 16.3 and < 16.3.6; >= 16.6 and < 16.6.2; < 3.8.6e; < 3.13.9s; < 3.16.7s
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Verify current privilege levelRun 'show privilege' command to display the current privilege level of the active sessionAffected if The current privilege level is 15 (privilege level 15 is required to exploit this vulnerability)
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Confirm remote access is enabledRun 'show ip ssh' or 'show line' commands to check if SSH or Telnet access is configured and activeAffected if Remote access protocols such as SSH or Telnet are enabled, allowing authenticated attackers to reach the device
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Check user authentication configurationRun 'show running-config | include username' or 'show aaa authentication' to review configured users and authentication methodsAffected if Local or remote user accounts with privilege level 15 exist and are accessible, providing a potential attack vector
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Assess physical access exposureInspect physical security controls and console access policies for the network deviceAffected if The device has unprotected physical console access or shared privilege level 15 credentials accessible to untrusted personnel
Your environment is affected if the device runs a Cisco IOS XE version matching the affected ranges AND has active privilege level 15 users accessible through console, SSH, or other remote access methods.
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 data3.8.6e3.13.9s3.16.7s
Apply the Cisco patch for bug CSCve74432 or upgrade to a fixed version of Cisco IOS XE Software. Restrict physical and remote access to devices to trusted, privileged-level users only.
Fix this in Ios Xe
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-0184 — 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-2018-0184 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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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.
- 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
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