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Web Security ApplianceApplication · Cisco

CVE-2018-0406

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-08-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 web-based management interface of Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a reflected or Document Object Model based (DOM-based) cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the web-based management interface of an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the web-based management interface of an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user of the interface to click a crafted link. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the interface or allow the attacker to access sensitive browser-based information. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve84006.

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 reflected and DOM-based cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cisco Web Security Appliance's web-based management interface allows unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious script through crafted URLs. The insufficient validation of user-supplied input enables script execution in the context of the interface or exfiltration of sensitive browser-based information when users click malicious links.

MitigationApply the Cisco patch when released (CSCve84006); until then, restrict management interface access to trusted networks/VPN only and educate users about not clicking untrusted links.

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
Web Security ApplianceApplication
Affected:= 10.1.2-003= 10.5.1-269= 11.5.0-fcs-581

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Cisco WSA and retrieve version
    Access the appliance via CLI and run the command 'version' or 'show version' to display the installed software version. Alternatively, access the web management interface and check the version displayed in the About or System Administration pages.
    Affected if The displayed version matches 10.1.2-003, 10.5.1-269, or 11.5.0-fcs-581
  2. Confirm web management interface is enabled
    Log into the WSA CLI and run 'grep -i mgmtui /etc/httpd.conf' or check through the web interface under System Administration > Management Interface to verify the HTTP/HTTPS management service is active.
    Affected if The management interface service is running and enabled
  3. Verify management interface network exposure
    Check the network accessibility of the management interface by reviewing the interface binding settings in the WSA web interface under Network > Interfaces, or by attempting to access the management URL from an untrusted network segment. Review access lists or firewall rules that control management port (port 8080/8443) accessibility.
    Affected if The management interface is accessible from untrusted networks rather than only from trusted management networks or VPN
  4. Inspect web server logs for suspicious URL patterns
    Review WSA logs located in /var/log/httproxy or through the web interface Logs > Web Proxy section. Search for URLs containing script tags, javascript:, or unusual characters that may indicate XSS probing attempts targeting the management interface.
    Affected if Log entries contain crafted URLs with XSS payloads targeting the management interface

A user is affected if their Cisco Web Security Appliance runs version 10.1.2-003, 10.5.1-269, or 11.5.0-fcs-581 and the web-based management interface is accessible.

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 when released (CSCve84006); until then, restrict management interface access to trusted networks/VPN only and educate users about not clicking untrusted links.

Fix this in Web Security Appliance 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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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2018-0406 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