CVE-2018-0173
A vulnerability in the Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software function that restores encapsulated option 82 information in DHCP Version 4 (DHCPv4) packets can allow for denial-of-service (DoS).
A vulnerability in the Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software function that restores encapsulated option 82 information in DHCP Version 4 (DHCPv4) packets could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to reload, resulting in a Relay Reply denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because the affected software performs incomplete input validation of encapsulated option 82 information that it receives in DHCPOFFER messages from DHCPv4 servers. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted DHCPv4 packet to an affected device, which the device would then forward to a DHCPv4 server. When the affected software processes the option 82 information that is encapsulated in the response from the server, an error could occur. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvg62754.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H- securityfocus.com/bid/103545Broken LinkThird Party Advisory
- securitytracker.com/id/1040591Broken LinkThird Party Advisory
- ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-107-04Third Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource
- ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-107-05Third Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource
- tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180328-dhcpr2Vendor Advisory
- tenable.com/security/research/tra-2018-06Third Party Advisory
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-0173US Government Resource
Actively exploited. Patch immediately.
- Exploitation
- Confirmed in the wild (CISA KEV)
- Federal remediation deadline
- Overdue by 1684 days
- CVSS
- 8.6 HIGH
- EPSS (30-day exploit probability)
- 7.6% · top 5% of all CVEs
- Weakness
- CWE-20
- Attack vector
- Network, remotely reachable
- Preconditions
- No privileges and no user interaction
- 1.Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- 2.Treat as emergency change: patch or isolate internet-facing instances first.
- 3.Review exposure: confirm which instances are reachable from the internet and restrict access until patched.
- 4.Hunt for compromise: review logs for the disclosure window, not just from the patch date.
Assessment is derived automatically from the live signals above; verify against your own asset inventory.