CVE-2018-0351 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Cisco SD-WAN Solution contains a vulnerability that allows an attacker to inject arbitrary commands with root privileges through the tcpdump utility.

Understanding CVE-2018-0351

The vulnerability in the Cisco SD-WAN Solution could be exploited by an attacker with local access and proper authentication.

What is CVE-2018-0351?

The vulnerability in the command-line tcpdump utility in the Cisco SD-WAN Solution allows an authenticated attacker to inject arbitrary commands with root privileges due to insufficient input validation.

The Impact of CVE-2018-0351

An attacker can execute commands with root privileges by manipulating the tcpdump utility
Only authenticated users can access the tcpdump utility
Various Cisco products are affected, including vBond Orchestrator Software, vEdge Series Routers, and more

Technical Details of CVE-2018-0351

The technical details of the vulnerability are as follows:

Vulnerability Description

Lack of sufficient input validation in the tcpdump utility
Attacker needs to authenticate and provide crafted input to exploit the vulnerability

Affected Systems and Versions

Products running a release of the Cisco SD-WAN Solution prior to Release 18.3.0
Impacts vBond Orchestrator Software, vEdge Series Routers, vManage Network Management Software, and more

Exploitation Mechanism

Attacker authenticates to the device
Submits crafted input to the tcpdump utility
Executes commands with root privileges upon successful exploit

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to mitigate and prevent the vulnerability:

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the necessary patches and updates from Cisco
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious activities
Restrict access to the tcpdump utility

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all Cisco products
Implement strong authentication mechanisms and access controls

Patching and Updates

Update affected systems to Release 18.3.0 or later
Follow Cisco's security advisories for the latest updates