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Unified Computing SystemApplication · Cisco

CVE-2018-0338

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-06-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
A vulnerability in the role-based access-checking mechanisms of Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands on an affected system. The vulnerability exists because the affected software lacks proper input and validation checks for certain file systems. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by issuing crafted commands in the CLI of an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause other users to execute unwanted arbitrary commands on the affected system. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf52994.

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

A vulnerability in Cisco UCS Software's role-based access-checking mechanisms allows an authenticated local attacker to execute arbitrary commands via crafted CLI commands. The root cause is insufficient input validation on certain file system operations, enabling attackers to cause other users to execute unwanted commands.

MitigationApply the Cisco patch for CSCvf52994 to vulnerable UCS installations; until then, limit local CLI access to trusted only and monitor for suspicious command patterns.

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
Unified Computing SystemApplication
Affected:= 5.5\(203\)= 7.0\(0\)bz\(0.46\)= 9.0\(100.20\)b= 9.1\(1.13\)= 9.9\(0.902\)

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:3.1/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 Cisco UCS software version
    Access the UCS CLI and run the 'show version' command, or access UCS Manager and check the Equipment > Firmware Management > Firmware Inventory for the active firmware version
    Affected if The displayed version matches one of the affected versions: 5.5(203), 7.0(0)bz(0.46), 9.0(100.20)b, 9.1(1.13), or 9.9(0.902)
  2. Confirm product is Cisco Unified Computing System
    Verify the system is running Cisco UCS software by checking the UCS Manager interface or running 'show system' in the UCS CLI
    Affected if The product is not Cisco Unified Computing System (this CVE only applies to UCS)
  3. Verify local CLI access is enabled
    Check UCS Manager or system configuration for local user accounts with CLI access privileges
    Affected if Local CLI user accounts exist with privileged access (the vulnerability requires an authenticated local attacker)
  4. Check for role-based access configuration
    Review user role assignments in UCS Manager under Admin > User Management > User Roles, or via 'show role' in the CLI
    Affected if Users are assigned roles that permit CLI command execution (the vulnerability exploits role-based access checking)
  5. Audit recent CLI command history
    Review UCS CLI command logs or system logs for unexpected or unauthorized command executions, particularly file system operations
    Affected if Unusual commands appear in logs, especially those involving file system operations or commands executed by other users

The environment is affected only if the system is Cisco Unified Computing System running one of the specific affected versions (5.5(203), 7.0(0)bz(0.46), 9.0(100.20)b, 9.1(1.13), or 9.9(0.902)) and local CLI access with user authentication is enabled.

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 CSCvf52994 to vulnerable UCS installations; until then, limit local CLI access to trusted only and monitor for suspicious command patterns.

Fix this in Unified Computing System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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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-2018-0338 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