Wireless Lan Controller SoftwareOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2018-0245
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 REST API of Cisco 5500 and 8500 Series Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to view system information that under normal circumstances should be prohibited. The vulnerability is due to incomplete input and validation checking mechanisms in the REST API URL request. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malicious URL to the REST API. If successful, an exploit could allow the attacker to view sensitive system information. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvg89442.
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 · moderate confidenceThis is an information disclosure vulnerability in the REST API of Cisco 5500 and 8500 Series Wireless LAN Controllers. An unauthenticated, remote attacker can send a maliciously crafted URL to the REST API to bypass input validation checks and view sensitive system information that should normally be protected.
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
Wireless Lan Controller SoftwareOperating system
= 8.3\(133.0\)= 8.5\(105.0\)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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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 device modelAccess the WLC CLI or web interface and run 'show inventory' or check the system overview to confirm the device is a Cisco 5500 or 8500 Series Wireless LAN ControllerAffected if Device model is not Cisco 5500 or 8500 Series WLC - this CVE does not apply
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Check the software versionRun 'show version' in the WLC CLI or check the firmware version in the web interface under Monitor > Controller > VersionAffected if Version is exactly 8.3.133.0 or 8.5.105.0 - only these specific versions are affected per the CVE
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Verify REST API is enabledCheck the WLC configuration via CLI with 'show run | include rest_api' or in the web interface under Security > AAA > REST API to see if the REST API feature is enabledAffected if REST API is enabled and accessible - the vulnerability requires the REST API to be exposed for exploitation
You are affected only if you have a Cisco 5500 or 8500 Series WLC running exactly version 8.3.133.0 or 8.5.105.0 with the REST API enabled and accessible to unauthenticated users.
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 dataApply the Cisco firmware update for CSCvg89442 when available, or implement web application firewall rules to restrict and validate REST API URL requests.
Fix this in Wireless Lan Controller Software
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,480.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-0245 — 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-2018-0245 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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- 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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