Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2018-0159

A vulnerability in the implementation of Internet Key Exchange Version 1 (IKEv1) functionality in Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to reload, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of specific IKEv1 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted IKEv1 packets to an affected device during an IKE negotiation. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause an affected device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCuj73916.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 14 products from cisco, from cisco, from cisco and 11 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2018, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2018-03-28T22:29:00.593

Last Modified

2026-01-14T18:44:13.093

Status

Analyzed

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C

  • Access Vector: NETWORK
  • Access Complexity: LOW
  • Authentication: NONE
  • Confidentiality Impact: NONE
  • Integrity Impact: NONE
  • Availability Impact: COMPLETE
Exploitability Score

10.0

Impact Score

6.9

Weaknesses
  • Type: Secondary
    CWE-20
  • Type: Primary
    NVD-CWE-noinfo
Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Operating System cisco ios 15.3\(3\)s Yes
Hardware cisco asr_901-12c-f-d - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-12c-ft-d - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-4c-f-d - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-4c-ft-d - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-6cz-f-a - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-6cz-f-d - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-6cz-ft-a - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-6cz-ft-d - No
Hardware cisco me_3600x-24cx-m - No
Hardware cisco me_3600x-24fs-m - No
Hardware cisco me_3600x-24ts-m - No
Hardware cisco me_3800x-24fs-m - No
Operating System cisco ios_xe 15.3\(3\)s Yes
Hardware cisco asr_901-12c-f-d - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-12c-ft-d - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-4c-f-d - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-4c-ft-d - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-6cz-f-a - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-6cz-f-d - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-6cz-ft-a - No
Hardware cisco asr_901-6cz-ft-d - No
Hardware cisco me_3600x-24cx-m - No
Hardware cisco me_3600x-24fs-m - No
Hardware cisco me_3600x-24ts-m - No
Hardware cisco me_3800x-24fs-m - No
References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For cisco's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.