A vulnerability in the Smart Install feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition, or to execute arbitrary code on an affected device
Published Mar 28, 2018 ·Due May 3, 2022
9.8
CRITICALCVSS 3.1
EPSS 99.48%
Description
A vulnerability in the Smart Install feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition, or to execute arbitrary code on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of packet data. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted Smart Install message to an affected device on TCP port 4786. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a buffer overflow on the affected device, which could have the following impacts: Triggering a reload of the device, Allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the device, Causing an indefinite loop on the affected device that triggers a watchdog crash. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvg76186.
Affected products
- Vendor n/a Product Cisco IOS and IOS XE Defaultn/a
- Version Cisco IOS and IOS XEStatusaffectedConstraints-
- Version
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n/a | Cisco IOS and IOS XE | n/a |
|
No data.
No Red Hat product state for this CVE.
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
No remediation recorded yet.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
1 other source (CISA ADP) ▾
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
No CVSS v3.0 score for this CVE.
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Date Added
Nov 3, 2021
Patch Due
May 3, 2022
Required Action
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA SSVC (Vulnrichment)
Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization from CISA ADP.
Exploitation
ActiveAutomatable
YesTechnical Impact
TotalDecision
n/aAssessed Nov 8, 2024 · SSVC 2.0.3
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
2021–2026- EPSS v1
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Percentile over time
- EPSS v1
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Table of values (38 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 99.48% (0.99479) | 99.94th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 99.51% (0.99510) | 99.94th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Nov 21, 2025 | 93.20% (0.93197) | 99.78th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Nov 18, 2025 | 90.17% (0.90170) | 99.68th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Aug 24, 2025 | 93.44% (0.93441) | 99.81th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Jun 15, 2025 | 91.29% (0.91290) | 99.62th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Jun 4, 2025 | 88.18% (0.88177) | 99.44th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Jun 1, 2025 | 86.22% (0.86221) | 99.36th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| May 4, 2025 | 87.72% (0.87717) | 99.41th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| May 1, 2025 | 86.22% (0.86221) | 99.35th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Apr 28, 2025 | 87.85% (0.87847) | 99.42th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Apr 20, 2025 | 89.10% (0.89101) | 99.48th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Apr 18, 2025 | 82.77% (0.82774) | 99.17th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 30, 2025 | 80.73% (0.80731) | 99.10th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 29, 2025 | 90.63% (0.90633) | 99.55th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 28, 2025 | 80.73% (0.80731) | 99.09th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 27, 2025 | 89.71% (0.89707) | 99.54th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 20, 2025 | 85.27% (0.85271) | 99.35th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 19, 2025 | 89.71% (0.89707) | 99.55th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 86.21% (0.86207) | 99.36th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 17, 2024 | 74.49% (0.74487) | 98.34th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Apr 12, 2024 | 85.08% (0.85075) | 98.48th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2024 | 83.96% (0.83957) | 98.38th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Feb 5, 2024 | 80.73% (0.80725) | 98.07th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Dec 12, 2023 | 78.22% (0.78217) | 97.94th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Sep 28, 2023 | 81.67% (0.81668) | 97.97th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Aug 19, 2023 | 85.04% (0.85039) | 98.08th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| May 8, 2023 | 86.42% (0.86421) | 98.05th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 22, 2023 | 88.90% (0.88904) | 98.09th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 88.61% (0.88614) | 98.06th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 57.47% (0.57473) | 98.85th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 1, 2023 | 57.47% (0.57473) | 98.83th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Jul 4, 2022 | 22.91% (0.22914) | 96.46th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 22.91% (0.22914) | 94.46th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 3, 2022 | 15.47% (0.15471) | 90.05th | v1 |
| Jan 6, 2022 | 15.47% (0.15471) | 89.94th | v1 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | 15.47% (0.15471) | 97.24th | v1 |
| Apr 14, 2021 | 15.47% (0.15471) | 0.00th | v1 |
References (7)
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/103538 vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040580 vdb-entryx_refsource_SECTRACKThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-107-04 x_refsource_MISCThird Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource
- https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-107-05 x_refsource_MISCThird Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource
- https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180328-smi2 x_refsource_CONFIRMVendor Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-0171 government-resourceUS Government Resource
- https://www.darkreading.com/perimeter/attackers-exploit-cisco-switch-issue-as-vendor-warns-of-yet-another-critical-flaw/d/d-id/1331490 x_refsource_MISCPress/Media Coverage
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/103538 | vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry | |
| http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040580 | vdb-entryx_refsource_SECTRACKThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry | |
| https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-107-04 | x_refsource_MISCThird Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource | |
| https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-107-05 | x_refsource_MISCThird Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource | |
| https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180328-smi2 | x_refsource_CONFIRMVendor Advisory | |
| https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-0171 | government-resourceUS Government Resource | |
| https://www.darkreading.com/perimeter/attackers-exploit-cisco-switch-issue-as-vendor-warns-of-yet-another-critical-flaw/d/d-id/1331490 | x_refsource_MISCPress/Media Coverage |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.