CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2018-0453 — Cisco Firepower Threat Defense security vulnerability

High CVSS 8.2

A vulnerability in the Sourcefire tunnel control channel protocol in Cisco Firepower System Software running on Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) sensors could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute specific CLI commands with root privileges on the Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC), or through Cisco FMC on other Firepower sensors and devices that are controlled by the same Cisco FMC. To send the commands, the attacker must have root privileges for at least one affected sensor or the Cisco FMC. The vulnerability exists because the affected software performs insufficient checks for certain CLI commands, if the commands are executed via a Sourcefire tunnel connection. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating with root privileges to a Firepower sensor or Cisco FMC, and then sending specific CLI commands to the Cisco FMC or through the Cisco FMC to another Firepower sensor via the Sourcefire tunnel connection. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to modify device configurations or delete files on the device that is running Cisco FMC Software or on any Firepower device that is managed by Cisco FMC.

Severity
High
CVSS
8.2 (3.0)
Published
2018-10-05
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-264, CWE-78

Affected products

  • cisco / firepower_threat_defense / 5.4.0
  • cisco / firepower_threat_defense / 6.0.0
  • cisco / firepower_threat_defense / 6.0.1
  • cisco / firepower_threat_defense / 6.1.0
  • cisco / firepower_threat_defense / 6.2.0
  • cisco / firepower_threat_defense / 6.2.1

Showing 6 representative product identities from 7 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

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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