Network Services OrchestratorApplication · Cisco
CVE-2018-0274
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 Network Services Orchestrator (NSO) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary shell commands with the privileges of the root user. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious arguments into vulnerable commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the affected system. This vulnerability affects the following releases of Cisco Network Services Orchestrator (NSO): 4.1 through 4.1.6.0, 4.2 through 4.2.4.0, 4.3 through 4.3.3.0, 4.4 through 4.4.2.0. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf99982.
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 confidenceCommand injection vulnerability in Cisco NSO CLI parser allows authenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands with root privileges through malicious argument injection. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation in the CLI command processing. Versions 4.1-4.1.6.0, 4.2-4.2.4.0, 4.3-4.3.3.0, and 4.4-4.4.2.0 are affected.
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
Network Services OrchestratorApplication
>= 4.1, <= 4.1.6.0>= 4.2, <= 4.2.4.0>= 4.3, <= 4.3.3.0>= 4.4, <= 4.4.2.0CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify Cisco NSO installation versionRun 'ncs --version' or check the NSO installation directory for version information, or query the NSO package managerAffected if The installed version falls within 4.1 through 4.1.6.0, 4.2 through 4.2.4.0, 4.3 through 4.3.3.0, or 4.4 through 4.4.2.0
-
Confirm CLI service is enabledCheck NSO configuration for cli or netsim listener bindings in ncs.conf, or verify that the NSO CLI port (usually 2024 or 22) is listeningAffected if The CLI interface is exposed and accessible
-
Verify authentication settings for CLI accessReview ncs.conf for authentication configuration under the CLI section and check which users have admin or privileged accessAffected if CLI authentication allows users who should not have access, or uses default/weak credentials
-
Inspect CLI command logging or audit trailsReview NSO CLI history logs or system logs for suspicious commands containing shell metacharacters (such as ;, |, &&, $())Affected if Unexpected or unauthorized CLI commands appear in logs, especially those containing shell command syntax
You are affected if Cisco NSO is installed at any version from 4.1 through 4.4.2.0 and the CLI interface is accessible to authenticated 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 dataUpgrade to a Cisco NSO version beyond 4.4.2.0 (the fixed releases). In the interim, strictly limit CLI access to trusted, authorized personnel and consider network segmentation to reduce exposure of the management interface.
Fix this in Network Services Orchestrator
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-0274 — 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-2018-0274 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data