📄 Description (English)
Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Improper Input Validation Vulnerability — A vulnerability in the Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software function that restores encapsulated option 82 information in DHCP Version 4 (DHCPv4) packets can allow for denial-of-service (DoS).
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2018-0173 is a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.0) in Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software involving improper input validation in the DHCPv4 option 82 encapsulation restoration function. Exploitation allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition by sending crafted DHCP packets, potentially causing device reloads. Public exploits are available, significantly increasing the risk of active exploitation. Organizations relying on Cisco networking infrastructure for critical operations are at immediate risk.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 9, 2026 17:15
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability poses significant risk to Saudi organizations heavily dependent on Cisco networking infrastructure. The banking sector (SAMA-regulated institutions) using Cisco switches and routers as DHCP relay agents are directly exposed. Government networks under NCA oversight, Saudi Aramco and energy sector OT/IT networks, telecom providers (STC, Mobily, Zain) with extensive Cisco deployments, and healthcare institutions are all at high risk. A successful DoS attack could disrupt critical network services, DHCP-dependent client connectivity, and potentially cascade into broader service outages across Saudi critical infrastructure. Given that Cisco dominates enterprise networking in the Kingdom, the attack surface is extensive.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking
Government
Energy
Telecommunications
Healthcare
Education
Defense
Transportation
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.5
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
Immediate Actions:
1. Identify all Cisco IOS and IOS XE devices acting as DHCP relay agents or DHCP servers with option 82 processing enabled.
2. Apply Cisco security patches immediately — refer to Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-20180328-dhcpr1 for specific fixed software versions.
3. If immediate patching is not possible, disable DHCP option 82 insertion/removal on relay agents where not strictly required.
Compensating Controls:
4. Implement access control lists (ACLs) to restrict DHCP traffic to trusted sources only.
5. Deploy rate limiting on DHCP traffic at network ingress points.
6. Segment networks to limit the blast radius of a potential DoS attack.
7. Enable DHCP snooping on switches to filter malicious DHCP packets.
Detection Rules:
8. Monitor for unusual DHCP traffic patterns, unexpected device reloads, or high volumes of malformed DHCP packets.
9. Configure syslog alerts for device crash events related to DHCP processing.
10. Deploy IDS/IPS signatures for CVE-2018-0173 exploit patterns (Snort SIDs available from Cisco Talos).
11. Regularly audit Cisco IOS/IOS XE versions against known vulnerable releases.
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع أجهزة Cisco IOS و IOS XE التي تعمل كوكلاء ترحيل DHCP أو خوادم DHCP مع تفعيل معالجة الخيار 82.
2. تطبيق تصحيحات Cisco الأمنية فوراً — الرجوع إلى نشرة Cisco الأمنية cisco-sa-20180328-dhcpr1 للحصول على إصدارات البرامج المصححة.
3. في حال عدم إمكانية التصحيح الفوري، تعطيل إدراج/إزالة الخيار 82 في DHCP على وكلاء الترحيل حيث لا تكون مطلوبة بشكل صارم.
الضوابط التعويضية:
4. تطبيق قوائم التحكم في الوصول (ACLs) لتقييد حركة DHCP على المصادر الموثوقة فقط.
5. تطبيق تحديد معدل حركة DHCP عند نقاط الدخول للشبكة.
6. تقسيم الشبكات للحد من نطاق تأثير هجوم رفض الخدمة المحتمل.
7. تفعيل DHCP snooping على المحولات لتصفية حزم DHCP الضارة.
قواعد الكشف:
8. مراقبة أنماط حركة DHCP غير العادية وإعادة تشغيل الأجهزة غير المتوقعة أو الحجم الكبير من حزم DHCP المشوهة.
9. تكوين تنبيهات syslog لأحداث تعطل الأجهزة المتعلقة بمعالجة DHCP.
10. نشر توقيعات IDS/IPS لأنماط استغلال CVE-2018-0173 (توقيعات Snort متاحة من Cisco Talos).
11. مراجعة إصدارات Cisco IOS/IOS XE بانتظام مقابل الإصدارات المعروفة بالثغرات.
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2-3-1 (Network Security)
ECC 2-5-1 (Vulnerability Management)
ECC 2-3-4 (Infrastructure Protection)
ECC 2-6-1 (Incident Management)
🔵 SAMA CSF
3.3.3 (Network Security Management)
3.3.4 (Patch and Vulnerability Management)
3.4.1 (Incident Detection and Response)
3.3.6 (Infrastructure Security)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.8.9 (Configuration Management)
A.8.8 (Management of Technical Vulnerabilities)
A.8.20 (Network Security)
A.8.22 (Segregation of Networks)
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0
Requirement 6.3.3 (Patching Security Vulnerabilities)
Requirement 1.2 (Network Security Controls)
Requirement 11.4 (External and Internal Penetration Testing)
🔗 References & Sources 0
No references.
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
Cisco:IOS and IOS XE Software