CVE-2018-0295

CVE-2018-0295 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Nx-os with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. 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-20.

Key facts

Description

A vulnerability in the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) implementation of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition due to the device unexpectedly reloading. The vulnerability is due to incomplete input validation of the BGP update messages. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted BGP update message to the targeted device. An exploit could allow the attacker to cause the switch to reload unexpectedly. The Cisco implementation of the BGP protocol only accepts incoming BGP traffic from explicitly defined peers. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must be able to send the malicious packets over a TCP connection that appears to come from a trusted BGP peer or inject malformed messages into the victim's BGP network. This would require obtaining information about the BGP peers in the affected system's trusted network. The vulnerability may be triggered when the router receives a malformed BGP message from a peer on an existing BGP session. At least one BGP neighbor session must be established for a router to be vulnerable. This vulnerability affects 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 Fabric Switches in Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) mode, Nexus 9000 Series Switches in standalone NX-OS mode, Nexus 9500 R-Series Line Cards and Fabric Modules. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve79599, CSCve87784, CSCve91371, CSCve91387.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-0295?
A vulnerability in the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) implementation of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition due to the device unexpectedly reloading. The vulnerability is due to incomplete input validation of the BGP update messages. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted BGP update message to the targeted device. An exploit could allow the attacker to cause the switch to reload unexpectedly. The Cisco implementation of the BGP protocol only accepts incoming BGP traffic from explicitly defined peers. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must be able to send the malicious packets over a TCP connection that appears to come from a trusted BGP peer or inject malformed messages into the victim's BGP network. This would require obtaining information about the BGP peers in the affected system's trusted network. The vulnerability may be triggered when the router receives a malformed BGP message from a peer on an existing BGP session. At least one BGP neighbor session must be established for a router to be vulnerable. This vulnerability affects 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 Fabric Switches in Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) mode, Nexus 9000 Series Switches in standalone NX-OS mode, Nexus 9500 R-Series Line Cards and Fabric Modules. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve79599, CSCve87784, CSCve91371, CSCve91387.
How severe is CVE-2018-0295?
CVE-2018-0295 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-2018-0295 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (83rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-0295?
CVE-2018-0295 primarily affects Cisco Nx-os. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-0295?
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-2018-0295 published?
CVE-2018-0295 was published on 2018-06-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

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