How severe is CVE-2018-17178?

CVE-2018-17178 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2018-17178 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (48th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-17178?

CVE-2018-17178 primarily affects Neatorobotics Botvac D4 Connected Firmware. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-17178?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2018-17178 published?

CVE-2018-17178 was published on 2018-09-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-17178

CVE-2018-17178 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Neatorobotics Botvac D4 Connected Firmware with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.3)
CVSS v2: 2.9
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (48th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Neatorobotics Botvac D4 Connected Firmware
Published: 2018-09-18
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered on Neato Botvac Connected 2.2.0 devices. They execute unauthenticated manual drive commands (sent to /bin/webserver on port 8081) if they already have an active session. Commands like forward, back, arc-left, arc-right, pivot-left, and pivot-right are executed even though the web socket replies with { "message" : "invalid authorization header" }. Without an active session, commands are still interpreted, but (except for eco-on and eco-off) have no effect, since without active driving, a driving direction does not change anything.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-17178?: An issue was discovered on Neato Botvac Connected 2.2.0 devices. They execute unauthenticated manual drive commands (sent to /bin/webserver on port 8081) if they already have an active session. Commands like forward, back, arc-left, arc-right, pivot-left, and pivot-right are executed even though the web socket replies with { "message" : "invalid authorization header" }. Without an active session, commands are still interpreted, but (except for eco-on and eco-off) have no effect, since without active driving, a driving direction does not change anything.
How severe is CVE-2018-17178?: CVE-2018-17178 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2018-17178 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (48th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-17178?: CVE-2018-17178 primarily affects Neatorobotics Botvac D4 Connected Firmware. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-17178?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-17178 published?: CVE-2018-17178 was published on 2018-09-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://media.ccc.de/v/2018-124-pinky-brain-are-taking-over-the-world-with-vacuum-cleaners

Affected products (5)

cpe:2.3:o:neatorobotics:botvac_d4_connected_firmware:2.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:neatorobotics:botvac_d6_connected_firmware:2.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:neatorobotics:botvac_d5_connected_firmware:2.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:neatorobotics:botvac_d7_connected_firmware:2.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:neatorobotics:botvac_d3_connected_firmware:2.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Neatorobotics Botvac D4 Connected Firmware

CVE-2018-17176 — High (CVSS 7.5): A replay issue was discovered on Neato Botvac Connected 2.2.0 devices. Manual control mode requires authentication, but…
CVE-2018-20785 — High (CVSS 7.4): Secure boot bypass and memory extraction can be achieved on Neato Botvac Connected 2.2.0 devices. During startup, the…
CVE-2018-17177 — Low (CVSS 2.4): An issue was discovered on Neato Botvac Connected 2.2.0 and Botvac 85 1.2.1 devices. Static encryption is used for the…

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