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What is CVE-2018-0294?A medium-severity flaw in NX-OS, explained.

Medium severity75 affected products
The short answer

CVE-2018-0294 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.7) in NX-OS from Cisco, published on 20 June 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 0.4%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix.

Check if it affects you →How to fix it

Published 20 June 2018. Record last updated 20 April 2023. We keep this page's data up to date.

What it does

What is CVE-2018-0294? In plain terms.

An attacker has to be already on the device with an administrator 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 write-erase feature of Cisco FXOS Software and Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to configure an unauthorized administrator account for an affected device. The vulnerability exists because the affected software does not properly delete sensitive files when certain CLI commands are used to clear the device configuration and reload a device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by logging into an affected device as an administrative user and configuring an unauthorized account for the device. The account would not require a password for authentication and would be accessible only via a Secure Shell (SSH) connection to the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to configure an unauthorized account that has administrative privileges, does not require a password for authentication, and does not appear in the running configuration or the audit logs for the affected device. This vulnerability affects Firepower 4100 Series Next-Generation Firewalls, Firepower 9300 Security Appliance, Nexus 1000V Series Switches, Nexus 1100 Series Cloud Services Platforms, Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders, Nexus 3500 Platform Switches, Nexus 4000 Series Switches, Nexus 5500 Platform Switches, Nexus 5600 Platform Switches, Nexus 6000 Series Switches, UCS 6100 Series Fabric Interconnects, UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects, UCS 6300 Series Fabric Interconnects. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd13993, CSCvd34845, CSCvd34857, CSCvd34862, CSCvd34879, CSCve35753.

What kind of flaw is it?

  • UnknownUnknown
  • UnknownUnknown
CVSS 3.0 scoreMedium · 6.7

How an attack on it works

Read straight from its severity rating, translated out of the shorthand.

  • Where an attacker can beAlready on the device
  • How hard it is to pull offEasy: no special conditions
  • Login needed firstAn administrator account
  • Does someone have to clickNo, nobody has to do anything
  • What an attacker getsCan read data, change data and take it offline

Severity vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation

Is CVE-2018-0294 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 0.4%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

Known to be exploitedNoNot on the list of exploited flaws today
Chance of use in the next 30 days0.4%Its EPSS score, from the latest forecast

Timeline

  1. Published
  2. Record last updated
How Precursor Intelligence ranks it
26out of 100Low

CVE-2018-0294 scores 26. 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-2018-0294 matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it.

See your own ranked list →
Affected products

Who is affected by CVE-2018-0294? 75 products.

The published record lists 75 products from 1 vendor. Versions are shown as published: "2.1.1 to before 2.1.1.86" means from 2.1.1 up to, but not including, 2.1.1.86. If you run one of these, check your version, then go to the fix below.

Remediation

How do I fix CVE-2018-0294? Four steps.

  1. 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.
  2. Apply the vendor’s fixInstall the update named in the vendor’s advisory. We’ve put the advisory first in the list.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

References

2 links
Precursor Intelligence

Does CVE-2018-0294 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.

  1. Tell us what you runPick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website.
  2. We match it to every flawOver 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list.
  3. Ranked by real-world riskA 0 to 100 score, led by evidence criminals are using it.
  4. Told as soon as we knowAn alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools.
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FAQ

Common questions, answered plainly.

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CVE-2018-0294 is a medium-severity flaw in NX-OS from Cisco, published on 20 June 2018. An attacker has to be already on the device with an administrator account, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can read data, change data and take it offline.

It scores 6.7 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is medium. Our risk score for CVE-2018-0294 is 26 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 0.4%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

For NX-OS from Cisco: 4.1(2)e1(1a), 5.2(1)sv3(1.10), 7.0(3)i2(4a), 7.3(2)n1(0.354), 8.8(3.5)s0. The record lists 75 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.

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