# What is CVE-2018-0238? > CVE-2018-0238 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.9) in Unified Computing System Director from Cisco, published on 19 April 2018. 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 5.0%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix. Canonical page: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/what-is/cve-2018-0238 ## At a glance - **Verdict:** Fix this soon. Not confirmed as exploited yet, but serious or likely enough that it should not wait for a quiet month. - **Precursor Intelligence risk score:** 55 out of 100 (Medium); action: Plan remediation. Kept up to date as the evidence changes. - **Severity:** Critical (CVSS 9.9 out of 10) - **Known to be exploited:** No, not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today - **Chance of use in the next 30 days:** 5.0% (latest exploit-likelihood forecast) - **Published:** 19 April 2018 - **Record last updated:** 9 October 2019 - **Main product:** Unified Computing System Director from Cisco - **Affected products:** 1 ## What is CVE-2018-0238? 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 read data, change data and take it offline. ### The official description A vulnerability in the role-based resource checking functionality of the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Director could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to view unauthorized information for any virtual machine in the UCS Director end-user portal and perform any permitted operations on any virtual machine. The permitted operations can be configured for the end user on the virtual machines with either of the following settings: The virtual machine is associated to a Virtual Data Center (VDC) that has an end user self-service policy attached to the VDC. The end user role has VM Management Actions settings configured under User Permissions. This is a global configuration, so all the virtual machines visible in the end-user portal will have the VM management actions available. The vulnerability is due to improper user authentication checks. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by logging in to the UCS Director with a modified username and valid password. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain visibility into and perform actions against all virtual machines in the UCS Director end-user portal of the affected system. This vulnerability affects Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Director releases 6.0 and 6.5 prior to patch 3 that are in a default configuration. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvh53501. ### What kind of flaw is it? - CWE-287: Improper Authentication ### How an attack on it works - Where an attacker can be: Anywhere on the internet - How hard it is to pull off: Easy: no special conditions - Login needed first: An ordinary user account - Does someone have to click: No, nobody has to do anything - What an attacker gets: Can read data, change data and take it offline Severity vector: `CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H` ## Is CVE-2018-0238 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 5.0%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching. Exploit likelihood over the last 7 days: 5.0%, 5.0%, 5.0%, 5.0%, 5.0%, 5.0%, 5.0%. ### Timeline - 19 April 2018: Published - 9 October 2019: Record last updated ### How Precursor Intelligence ranks it CVE-2018-0238 scores **55 out of 100 (Medium)**, with the action "Plan remediation". Every published flaw gets a risk score from 0 to 100, kept up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, from the one that counts most to the ones that count less: - Evidence it is being exploited: biggest factor - How severe it is: strong factor - How widely exposed it is: key context - Real threat activity around it: key context 85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score. When this flaw matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it. ## Who is affected by CVE-2018-0238? The published record lists 1 product. - [Unified Computing System Director](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/cisco/unified_computing_system_director) by [Cisco](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/cisco) (Application): 6.5(0.0), 6.5(0.1) ## How do I fix CVE-2018-0238? 1. **Check whether you run it.** Compare 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. 2. **Apply the vendor’s fix.** Install the update named in the vendor’s advisory. We’ve put the advisory first in the list. 3. **If you can’t patch today.** Follow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in. 4. **Keep an eye on it.** Track 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. ### References - [tools.cisco.com](https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180418-uscd) (Vendor advisory) - [securityfocus.com](http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/103919) (Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database) - [securitytracker.com](http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040708) (Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database) ## Questions ### What is CVE-2018-0238? CVE-2018-0238 is a critical-severity flaw in Unified Computing System Director from Cisco, published on 19 April 2018. 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 read data, change data and take it offline. ### How serious is CVE-2018-0238? It scores 9.9 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is critical. Our risk score for CVE-2018-0238 is 55 out of 100, which is Medium. Its action is "Plan remediation". Not confirmed as exploited yet, but serious or likely enough that it should not wait for a quiet month. ### Is CVE-2018-0238 being exploited? 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 5.0%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching. ### Which versions does CVE-2018-0238 affect? For Unified Computing System Director from Cisco: 6.5(0.0), 6.5(0.1). ### How do I fix CVE-2018-0238? 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. ## Does CVE-2018-0238 affect you? Precursor Intelligence keeps checking for you: - **Tell us what you run.** Pick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website. - **We match it to every flaw.** Over 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list. - **Ranked by real-world risk.** Every flaw gets a 0 to 100 risk score, kept up to date, led by evidence criminals are using it. - **Told as soon as we know.** An alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools. Start free (no card, nothing to install): https://www.precursorintelligence.com/register Book a demo: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/contact