What is CVE-2017-12278?A medium-severity flaw in Wireless LAN Controller, explained.
CVE-2017-12278 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.3) in Wireless LAN Controller from Cisco, published on 2 November 2017. It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts its chance of use in the next 30 days at 1.6%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix.
Published 2 November 2017. Record last updated 20 April 2025. We keep this page's data up to date.
What is CVE-2017-12278? In plain terms.
It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet with an ordinary user account, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can take it offline.
A vulnerability in the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) subsystem of Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to restart, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to a memory leak that occurs on an affected device after the device fails to deallocate a buffer that is used when certain MIBs are polled. An attacker who knows the SNMP Version 2 SNMP Read string or has valid SNMP Version 3 credentials for an affected device could repeatedly poll the affected MIB object IDs (OIDs) and consume available memory on the device. When memory is sufficiently depleted on the device, the device will restart, resulting in a DoS condition. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvc71674.
What kind of flaw is it?
- CWE-119Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
- CWE-772Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime
How an attack on it works
Read straight from its severity rating, translated out of the shorthand.
- Where an attacker can beAnywhere on the internet
- How hard it is to pull offHard: conditions must line up
- Login needed firstAn ordinary user account
- Does someone have to clickNo, nobody has to do anything
- What an attacker getsCan take it offline
Severity vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
Is CVE-2017-12278 being exploited? Not that we know of.
It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 1.6%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.
Timeline
- Published
- Record last updated
CVE-2017-12278 scores 22. Action: Monitor.
We keep the score of every published flaw up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, and evidence that criminals are actually using it counts most. In order:
- Evidence it is being exploitedBiggest factor
- How severe it isStrong factor
- How widely exposed it isSmaller factor
- Threat activity around itSmaller factor
85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score.
When CVE-2017-12278 matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it.
See your own ranked list →Who is affected by CVE-2017-12278? 2 products.
The published record lists 2 products from 1 vendor. If you run one of these, check your version, then go to the fix below.
- Hardware
Wireless LAN Controller
by Cisco
Affected versionsversion not specified - Operating system
Wireless LAN Controller Software
by Cisco
Affected versionsversion not specified
How do I fix CVE-2017-12278? Four steps.
- Check whether you run itCompare your versions with the affected products above. Not sure what you run? Precursor Intelligence can work it out from your public website, or you can pick it from a list.
- Apply the vendor’s fixInstall the update named in the vendor’s advisory. We’ve put the advisory first in the list.
- If you can’t patch todayFollow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in.
- Keep an eye on itTrack the product and we tell you as soon as we spot this flaw on the list of exploited flaws, or a jump in its exploit likelihood.
Does CVE-2017-12278 affect you? We'll keep checking.
Looking flaws up one at a time doesn't scale. Tell us what you run once, and we tell you which flaws matter to you, in what order, and keep watching for new ones.
- Tell us what you runPick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website.
- We match it to every flawOver 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list.
- Ranked by real-world riskA 0 to 100 score, led by evidence criminals are using it.
- Told as soon as we knowAn alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools.
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1 new flaw affects software Acme tracks
A vulnerability in the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) subsystem of Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to...
- Matched to
- Wireless LAN Controller on Acme's software list
- What to do
- Plan in the vendor’s update
Sent to the alert recipients Acme chose. Also in the app and to Acme's webhook.
CVE-2017-12278 is a medium-severity flaw in Wireless LAN Controller from Cisco, published on 2 November 2017. It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet with an ordinary user account, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can take it offline.
It scores 6.3 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is medium. Our risk score for CVE-2017-12278 is 22 out of 100, which is Low. Its action is "Monitor". No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle.
It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 1.6%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.
For Wireless LAN Controller from Cisco: version not specified. The record lists 2 products in all, each with its versions, under "Who is affected" on this page.
Install the update the vendor names in its advisory, linked first under "How do I fix" on this page. If you can't patch today, follow the vendor's mitigation and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet.