CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2018-0169 — Cisco Ios security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.8

Multiple vulnerabilities in the CLI parser of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain access to the underlying Linux shell of an affected device and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the device. The vulnerabilities are due to the affected software improperly sanitizing command arguments to prevent access to internal data structures on a device. An attacker who has user EXEC mode (privilege level 1) access to an affected device could exploit these vulnerabilities on the device by executing CLI commands that contain crafted arguments. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain access to the underlying Linux shell of the affected device and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the device. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCtw85441, CSCus42252, CSCuv95370.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.8 (3.0)
Published
2018-03-28
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
operating-system
Weaknesses
CWE-264, CWE-78

Affected products

  • cisco / ios / 15.0(5.59)emd

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

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Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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