Sign inStart freeBook a demo

What is CVE-2018-0331?A medium-severity flaw in NX-OS, explained.

Medium severity78 affected products
The short answer

CVE-2018-0331 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.5) in NX-OS from Cisco, published on 21 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 0.6%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix.

Check if it affects you →How to fix it

Published 21 June 2018. Record last updated 20 April 2023. We keep this page's data up to date.

What it does

What is CVE-2018-0331? In plain terms.

An attacker has to be on the same local network without logging in, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can take it offline.

The official description

A vulnerability in the Cisco Discovery Protocol (formerly known as CDP) subsystem of devices running, or based on, Cisco NX-OS Software contain a vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to create a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to a failure to properly validate certain fields within a Cisco Discovery Protocol message prior to processing it. An attacker with the ability to submit a Cisco Discovery Protocol message designed to trigger the issue could cause a DoS condition on an affected device while the device restarts. This vulnerability affects Firepower 4100 Series Next-Generation Firewall, Firepower 9300 Security Appliance, MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Director Switches, Nexus 1000V Series Switches, Nexus 1100 Series Cloud Services Platforms, Nexus 2000 Series Switches, Nexus 3000 Series Switches, Nexus 3500 Platform Switches, Nexus 3600 Platform Switches, Nexus 5500 Platform Switches, Nexus 5600 Platform Switches, Nexus 6000 Series Switches, Nexus 7000 Series Switches, Nexus 7700 Series Switches, Nexus 9000 Series Switches in NX-OS mode, Nexus 9500 R-Series Line Cards and Fabric Modules, UCS 6100 Series Fabric Interconnects, UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects, UCS 6300 Series Fabric Interconnects. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvc89242, CSCve40943, CSCve40953, CSCve40965, CSCve40970, CSCve40978, CSCve40992, CSCve41000, CSCve41007.

What kind of flaw is it?

  • CWE-20Improper Input Validation
CVSS 3.1 scoreMedium · 6.5

How an attack on it works

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

  • Where an attacker can beOn the same local network
  • How hard it is to pull offEasy: no special conditions
  • Login needed firstNo login needed
  • Does someone have to clickNo, nobody has to do anything
  • What an attacker getsCan take it offline

Severity vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Exploitation

Is CVE-2018-0331 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 0.6%. 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 days0.6%Its EPSS score, from the latest forecast

Timeline

  1. Published
  2. Record last updated
How Precursor Intelligence ranks it
21out of 100Low

CVE-2018-0331 scores 21. 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-2018-0331 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-2018-0331? 78 products.

The published record lists 78 products from 1 vendor. Versions are shown as published: "before 7.0(3)i3" means every version up to, but not including, 7.0(3)i3. If you run one of these, check your version, then go to the fix below.

Remediation

How do I fix CVE-2018-0331? 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-2018-0331 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.
Start free →Book a demo

Free plan, no card needed. Nothing to install.

FAQ

Common questions, answered plainly.

Something else? Talk to the team →

CVE-2018-0331 is a medium-severity flaw in NX-OS from Cisco, published on 21 June 2018. An attacker has to be on the same local network without logging in, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can take it offline.

It scores 6.5 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is medium. Our risk score for CVE-2018-0331 is 21 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 0.6%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

For NX-OS from Cisco: before 7.0(3)i3, before 7.0(3)i7(1), before 2.2(8g), 2.5 to before 3.1(2f), 5.2 to before 8.1(1a), 8.0 and 2 more. The record lists 78 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.

Keep exploring