How severe is CVE-2018-15462?

CVE-2018-15462 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-2018-15462 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-15462?

CVE-2018-15462 affects Cisco Firepower Threat Defense. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-15462?

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-2018-15462 published?

CVE-2018-15462 was published on 2019-05-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-15462

CVE-2018-15462 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-770.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.6)
CVSS v2: 7.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (79th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-770
Affected product: Cisco Firepower Threat Defense
Published: 2019-05-03
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A vulnerability in the TCP ingress handler for the data interfaces that are configured with management access to Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an increase in CPU and memory usage, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to insufficient ingress TCP rate limiting for TCP ports 22 (SSH) and 443 (HTTPS). An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted, steady stream of TCP traffic to port 22 or 443 on the data interfaces that are configured with management access to the affected device.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-15462?: A vulnerability in the TCP ingress handler for the data interfaces that are configured with management access to Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an increase in CPU and memory usage, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to insufficient ingress TCP rate limiting for TCP ports 22 (SSH) and 443 (HTTPS). An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted, steady stream of TCP traffic to port 22 or 443 on the data interfaces that are configured with management access to the affected device.
How severe is CVE-2018-15462?: CVE-2018-15462 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-2018-15462 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-15462?: CVE-2018-15462 affects Cisco Firepower Threat Defense. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-15462?: 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-2018-15462 published?: CVE-2018-15462 was published on 2019-05-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:cisco:firepower_threat_defense:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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