# CVE-2018-0169: Command injection in Cisco IOS XE

> Authenticated local attackers can execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on Cisco IOS XE devices via crafted CLI arguments.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Mar 2018
- **Updated:** 2 Dec 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3gw8-cfcr-c4jc

## What is CVE-2018-0169?

CVE-2018-0169 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Cisco Ios, published on 28 Mar 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Multiple vulnerabilities in the CLI parser of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain access to the underlying Linux shell of an affected device and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the device. The vulnerabilities are due to the affected software improperly sanitizing command arguments to prevent access to internal data structures on a device. An attacker who has user EXEC mode (privilege level 1) access to an affected device could exploit these vulnerabilities on the device by executing CLI commands that contain crafted arguments. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain access to the underlying Linux shell of the affected device and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the device. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCtw85441, CSCus42252, CSCuv95370.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-0169?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Ios.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-0169?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-0169 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-0169 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-0169 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Ios

- [CVE-2017-12240](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-12240/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software DHCP Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-3881](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-3881/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-0167](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0167/): Cisco IOS, XR, and XE Software Buffer Overflow (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-6736](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6736/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software SNMP Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-6737](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6737/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software SNMP Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-0169 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-0169 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Cisco Ios, published on 28 Mar 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-0169 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Ios. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0169/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0169/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-0169
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-0169
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-0169

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0169/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.