CVE-2018-0230

CVE-2018-0230 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.6. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-400.

Key facts

Description

A vulnerability in the internal packet-processing functionality of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software for Cisco Firepower 2100 Series Security Appliances could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to stop processing traffic, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to the affected software improperly validating IP Version 4 (IPv4) and IP Version 6 (IPv6) packets after the software reassembles the packets (following IP Fragmentation). An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a series of malicious, fragmented IPv4 or IPv6 packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause Snort processes on the affected device to hang at 100% CPU utilization, which could cause the device to stop processing traffic and result in a DoS condition until the device is reloaded manually. This vulnerability affects Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software Releases 6.2.1 and 6.2.2, if the software is running on a Cisco Firepower 2100 Series Security Appliance. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf91098.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-0230?
A vulnerability in the internal packet-processing functionality of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software for Cisco Firepower 2100 Series Security Appliances could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to stop processing traffic, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to the affected software improperly validating IP Version 4 (IPv4) and IP Version 6 (IPv6) packets after the software reassembles the packets (following IP Fragmentation). An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a series of malicious, fragmented IPv4 or IPv6 packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause Snort processes on the affected device to hang at 100% CPU utilization, which could cause the device to stop processing traffic and result in a DoS condition until the device is reloaded manually. This vulnerability affects Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software Releases 6.2.1 and 6.2.2, if the software is running on a Cisco Firepower 2100 Series Security Appliance. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf91098.
How severe is CVE-2018-0230?
CVE-2018-0230 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.6, 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-2018-0230 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (76th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-0230?
CVE-2018-0230 primarily affects Cisco Firepower Threat Defense. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-0230?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2018-0230 published?
CVE-2018-0230 was published on 2018-04-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

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