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Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco

CVE-2018-0214

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-03-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
55/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 certain CLI commands of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the host operating system with the privileges of the local user, aka Command Injection. These commands should have been restricted from this user. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of CLI command user input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the targeted device and issuing a CLI command with crafted user input. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the affected system that should be restricted. The attacker would need to have valid user credentials for the device. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf49844.

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 vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) CLI allows authenticated local attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands due to insufficient input validation of CLI command user input. An attacker with valid device credentials can issue crafted CLI commands to bypass restrictions and run commands with the privileges of the authenticated local user.

MitigationApply the Cisco patch for bug CSCvf49844 and ensure ISE is updated to a fixed release. Follow least-privilege principles for user accounts and restrict CLI access to only necessary personnel.

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
Identity Services EngineApplication
Affected:= 2.1\(102.103\)

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
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

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 Cisco ISE installation
    Locate Cisco ISE by checking for the application process or service running on the system. Look for 'ise' or 'Identity Services Engine' in running processes or installed software listings.
    Affected if Cisco Identity Services Engine software is present on the system
  2. Check installed ISE version
    Access the ISE CLI or admin interface and retrieve the software version. In CLI, use 'show version' or 'show running-config' to display the current version information.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.1(102.103)
  3. Verify CLI access is enabled
    Check ISE configuration settings to determine if the command-line interface is accessible. Review user access controls and network accessibility settings for the CLI service.
    Affected if CLI access is enabled and accessible to users
  4. Review CLI user accounts
    Examine the list of users who have CLI access privileges. Check user authentication settings and privilege levels assigned in the ISE user database.
    Affected if There are user accounts with CLI access permissions
  5. Inspect CLI command logging
    Review ISE CLI audit logs or system logs for any suspicious or anomalous command executions that may indicate exploitation.
    Affected if There are records of unexpected or malformed CLI commands in logs

A system is affected if it is running Cisco Identity Services Engine version 2.1(102.103) with CLI access enabled and authenticated users can execute CLI commands.

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 patch for bug CSCvf49844 and ensure ISE is updated to a fixed release. Follow least-privilege principles for user accounts and restrict CLI access to only necessary personnel.

Fix this in Identity Services Engine Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.

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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-2018-0214 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