# CVE-2018-15370: Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches ROM Monitor Software Secure Boot Bypass Vulnerability

> Local attackers can bypass Secure Boot validation on Cisco Catalyst 6800 switches to load malicious software images via ROMMON mode.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Oct 2018
- **Updated:** 26 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-vhr4-h7vg-cgj6

## What is CVE-2018-15370?

CVE-2018-15370 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches, published on 5 Oct 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in Cisco IOS ROM Monitor (ROMMON) Software for Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches could allow an unauthenticated, local attacker to bypass Cisco Secure Boot validation checks and load a compromised software image on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to the presence of a hidden command in the affected software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to an affected device via the console, forcing the device into ROMMON mode, and writing a malicious pattern to a specific memory address on the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass signature validation checks by Cisco Secure Boot technology and load a compromised software image on the affected device. A compromised software image is any software image that has not been digitally signed by Cisco.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-15370?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Ios Rom Monitor.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-15370?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-15370 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-15370 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-15370 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-15370 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-15370 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches, published on 5 Oct 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-2018-15370 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches. 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-2018-15370/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-15370/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15370
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-15370
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-15370

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-15370/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.