What is CVE-2018-0156?

CVE-2018-0156 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst 2960c-12pc-L, classified under CWE-399. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2018-03-28.

How severe is CVE-2018-0156?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.

Is CVE-2018-0156 known to be exploited?

Yes. CVE-2018-0156 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-03), indicating it is being actively exploited. 2 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.

Improper input validation in Cisco Catalyst 2960c-12pc-L

CVE-2018-0156

A vulnerability in the Smart Install feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of packet data. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted packet to an affected device on TCP port 4786. Only Smart Install client switches are affected. Cisco devices that are configured as a Smart Install director are not affected by this vulnerability. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd40673.

Published 2018-03-28 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.094 (95.3th percentile), scored 2026-10-19.

Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 95th percentile — 95.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.086 · newest: 0.094 · change: +0.008

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on 2022-03-03. CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.

BOD 22-01 due date: 2022-03-17.

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-107-04 (US Government Resource, Third Party Advisory)
tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20180328… (Vendor Advisory)
www.securitytracker.com/id/1040596 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
www.securityfocus.com/bid/103569 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-18-107-05 (US Government Resource, Third Party Advisory)
134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (US Government Resource)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-0156?: CVE-2018-0156 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst 2960c-12pc-L, classified under CWE-399. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2018-03-28.
How severe is CVE-2018-0156?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2018-0156 known to be exploited?: Yes. CVE-2018-0156 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-03), indicating it is being actively exploited. 2 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.