dbcve.org
Network Services OrchestratorApplication · Cisco

CVE-2018-0463

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-10-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Cisco Network Plug and Play server component of Cisco Network Services Orchestrator (NSO) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to gain unauthorized access to configuration data that is stored on an affected NSO system. The vulnerability exists because the Network Plug and Play component performs incomplete validation when configured to use secure unique device identifiers (SUDI) for authentication. An attacker who controls a Cisco device that supports SUDI authentication and has connectivity to an affected NSO system could exploit this vulnerability. The attacker would need to leverage information about the devices that are being registered on the NSO server to send crafted Cisco Network Plug and Play authentication packets to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain unauthorized access to configuration data for devices that will be managed by the NSO system.

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

The vulnerability exists in the Cisco Network Plug and Play server component of NSO, where incomplete validation during SUDI (Secure Unique Device Identifier) authentication allows an attacker controlling a SUDI-capable Cisco device to send crafted authentication packets and gain unauthorized access to configuration data for devices registered on the affected NSO system.

MitigationApply the Cisco-provided software update for NSO when available; meanwhile, restrict network access to the NSO management interface and verify that only trusted, controlled devices can reach the Network Plug and Play service.

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
Affected:= 1.2.0

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
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify NSO installation and version
    Run 'ncs --version' from the NSO installation directory, or check the installation logs/packages for version 1.2.0. If NSO was installed via package manager, use 'dpkg -l | grep nso' or 'rpm -qa | grep nso' to list installed NSO packages.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.2.0
  2. Confirm Network Plug and Play component is enabled
    Review the NSO configuration for the 'pnp' (Plug and Play) service. Check NSO configuration files (typically in /ncs/config or via 'show running-config' in NSO CLI) for 'pnp-server' or 'network-plug-and-play' entries.
    Affected if Network Plug and Play server component is configured and active in the NSO environment
  3. Verify SUDI authentication is in use
    Inspect NSO authentication settings for SUDI (Secure Unique Device Identifier) configuration. Look for 'sudi' or 'secure-unique-device-identifier' directives in NSO XML configuration files or via 'show authgroup' and related authentication configuration commands.
    Affected if SUDI-based device authentication is enabled for registered devices in the NSO system
  4. Check network exposure of NSO management interface
    Review firewall rules, access control lists, or network segmentation protecting the NSO server. Verify which network segments or IP addresses can reach the NSO management port (default 8080/8443) and PnP service port.
    Affected if The NSO management interface and PnP service are accessible from untrusted or attacker-controlled network segments

You are affected if NSO version 1.2.0 is installed with Network Plug and Play enabled and SUDI authentication in use, and the NSO management/PnP interface is network-accessible to potentially untrusted devices.

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-provided software update for NSO when available; meanwhile, restrict network access to the NSO management interface and verify that only trusted, controlled devices can reach the Network Plug and Play service.

Fix this in Network Services Orchestrator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,740
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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-2018-0463 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
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