CVE-2017-12235

CVE-2017-12235 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2022-03-03). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-20.

Key facts

Description

A vulnerability in the implementation of the PROFINET Discovery and Configuration Protocol (PN-DCP) for Cisco IOS 12.2 through 15.6 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 the improper parsing of ingress PN-DCP Identify Request packets destined to an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted PN-DCP Identify Request packet to an affected device and then continuing to send normal PN-DCP Identify Request packets to the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition. This vulnerability affects Cisco devices that are configured to process PROFINET messages. Beginning with Cisco IOS Software Release 12.2(52)SE, PROFINET is enabled by default on all the base switch module and expansion-unit Ethernet ports. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCuz47179.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-12235?
A vulnerability in the implementation of the PROFINET Discovery and Configuration Protocol (PN-DCP) for Cisco IOS 12.2 through 15.6 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 the improper parsing of ingress PN-DCP Identify Request packets destined to an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted PN-DCP Identify Request packet to an affected device and then continuing to send normal PN-DCP Identify Request packets to the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition. This vulnerability affects Cisco devices that are configured to process PROFINET messages. Beginning with Cisco IOS Software Release 12.2(52)SE, PROFINET is enabled by default on all the base switch module and expansion-unit Ethernet ports. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCuz47179.
How severe is CVE-2017-12235?
CVE-2017-12235 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-12235 being actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2017-12235 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2022-03-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-12235?
CVE-2017-12235 affects Cisco Ios. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-12235?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2017-12235 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2017-12235 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2017-3808. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2022-03-03).
When was CVE-2017-12235 published?
CVE-2017-12235 was published on 2017-09-29 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

More vulnerabilities in Cisco Ios

All CVEs affecting Cisco Ios →

Other CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities

Browse all CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities →