# CVE-2018-0311: Memory corruption in Cisco FXOS and NX-OS unknown

> Unauthenticated remote attackers can cause denial of service on Cisco network devices via crafted Fabric Services packets triggering buffer overflows.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Jun 2018
- **Updated:** 29 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5r6p-hgcc-whm4

## What is CVE-2018-0311?

CVE-2018-0311 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Cisco Firepower Extensible Operating System, published on 21 Jun 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the Cisco Fabric Services component of Cisco FXOS Software and Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability exists because the affected software insufficiently validates Cisco Fabric Services packets when the software processes packet data. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a maliciously crafted Cisco Fabric Services packet to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a buffer overflow condition on the device, which could cause process crashes and result in a DoS condition on the device. This vulnerability affects Firepower 4100 Series Next-Generation Firewalls, Firepower 9300 Security Appliance, MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches, Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders, Nexus 3000 Series Switches, Nexus 3500 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 Switches in standalone NX-OS mode, Nexus 9500 R-Series Line Cards and Fabric Modules, UCS 6100 Series Fabric Interconnects, UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects, UCS 6300 Series Fabric Interconnects. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd69960, CSCve02463, CSCve04859, CSCve41530, CSCve41537, CSCve41541, CSCve41557.

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer), CWE-399

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-0311?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Cisco Firepower Extensible Operating System, Cisco Nx-Os.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-0311?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-0311 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-0311 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-0311 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Firepower Extensible Operating System

- [CVE-2018-0310](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0310/): Information disclosure in Cisco FXOS and NX-OS unknown (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2015-6435](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-6435/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-1368](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1368/): Memory corruption in Cisco NX-OS Software (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-3456](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3456/): Cisco FXOS Software Firepower Chassis Manager Cross-Site Request Forgery Vulnerability (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-3172](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3172/): Cisco FXOS and NX-OS Software Cisco Discovery Protocol Arbitrary Code Execution and Denial of Service Vulnerability (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-0311 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-0311 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Cisco Firepower Extensible Operating System, published on 21 Jun 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-0311 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Firepower Extensible Operating System. 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-2018-0311/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0311/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-0311
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-0311
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-0311

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0311/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.