📄 Description (English)
Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software Improper Input Validation Vulnerability — A vulnerability in the DHCP option 82 encapsulation functionality of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow for denial-of-service (DoS).
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2018-0174 is a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.0) in Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software related to improper input validation in DHCP option 82 encapsulation functionality. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition by sending crafted DHCP packets, potentially causing affected devices to reload. Exploits are publicly available, significantly increasing the risk of active exploitation. Organizations running affected Cisco networking equipment should prioritize immediate patching.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 9, 2026 17:16
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability poses significant risk to Saudi organizations heavily reliant on Cisco networking infrastructure, which is prevalent across all major sectors. Banking institutions regulated by SAMA, government entities under NCA oversight, energy sector organizations including ARAMCO and its subsidiaries, telecom providers like STC, Mobily, and Zain, and healthcare networks all commonly deploy Cisco IOS/IOS XE devices as core network infrastructure. A successful DoS attack could disrupt critical network services, DHCP relay operations, and potentially cascade into broader service outages affecting national critical infrastructure. The availability of public exploits makes this particularly dangerous for internet-facing or insufficiently segmented network devices.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking
Government
Energy
Telecommunications
Healthcare
Education
Defense
Retail
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.5
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
Immediate Actions:
1. Identify all Cisco IOS and IOS XE devices in your environment using asset inventory tools
2. Determine if DHCP relay or DHCP snooping with option 82 is enabled on affected devices
3. Apply Cisco's official security patches immediately — refer to Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-20180328-dhcpr3
Patching Guidance:
4. Upgrade to the fixed Cisco IOS/IOS XE software versions as specified in Cisco's advisory
5. Schedule emergency maintenance windows for critical infrastructure devices
6. Test patches in a staging environment before production deployment where possible
Compensating Controls:
7. If immediate patching is not possible, disable DHCP option 82 insertion on relay agents where not required
8. Implement access control lists (ACLs) to restrict DHCP traffic to trusted sources only
9. Segment network to limit exposure of vulnerable devices to untrusted DHCP traffic
10. Deploy rate limiting on DHCP traffic at network boundaries
Detection Rules:
11. Monitor for unusual DHCP traffic patterns, especially malformed option 82 fields
12. Configure syslog alerts for unexpected device reloads
13. Implement SNMP monitoring for device availability and crash events
14. Deploy IDS/IPS signatures for CVE-2018-0174 exploitation attempts
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع أجهزة Cisco IOS و IOS XE في بيئتكم باستخدام أدوات جرد الأصول
2. التحقق مما إذا كان DHCP relay أو DHCP snooping مع option 82 مفعلاً على الأجهزة المتأثرة
3. تطبيق تصحيحات Cisco الأمنية الرسمية فوراً — الرجوع إلى تنبيه Cisco الأمني cisco-sa-20180328-dhcpr3
إرشادات التصحيح:
4. الترقية إلى إصدارات برنامج Cisco IOS/IOS XE المُصححة كما هو محدد في تنبيه Cisco
5. جدولة نوافذ صيانة طارئة لأجهزة البنية التحتية الحرجة
6. اختبار التصحيحات في بيئة اختبارية قبل النشر في بيئة الإنتاج حيثما أمكن
الضوابط التعويضية:
7. في حال عدم إمكانية التصحيح الفوري، تعطيل إدراج DHCP option 82 على وكلاء الترحيل حيث لا تكون مطلوبة
8. تطبيق قوائم التحكم في الوصول (ACLs) لتقييد حركة DHCP على المصادر الموثوقة فقط
9. تقسيم الشبكة للحد من تعرض الأجهزة المعرضة لحركة DHCP غير الموثوقة
10. تطبيق تحديد معدل حركة DHCP على حدود الشبكة
قواعد الكشف:
11. مراقبة أنماط حركة DHCP غير العادية، خاصة حقول option 82 المشوهة
12. تكوين تنبيهات syslog لإعادة التشغيل غير المتوقعة للأجهزة
13. تنفيذ مراقبة SNMP لتوفر الأجهزة وأحداث الأعطال
14. نشر توقيعات IDS/IPS لمحاولات استغلال CVE-2018-0174
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2-3-1 (Network Security)
ECC 2-5-1 (Vulnerability Management)
ECC 2-3-4 (Infrastructure Security)
ECC 2-6-1 (Incident Management)
🔵 SAMA CSF
3.3.3 (Network Security Management)
3.3.4 (Patch and Vulnerability Management)
3.3.7 (Infrastructure Security)
3.4.1 (Incident Detection and Response)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.8.8 (Management of technical vulnerabilities)
A.8.20 (Networks security)
A.8.21 (Security of network services)
A.8.9 (Configuration management)
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0
Requirement 6.3.3 (Patching security vulnerabilities)
Requirement 1.2 (Network security controls)
Requirement 11.3 (Vulnerability scanning)
🔗 References & Sources 0
No references.
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
Cisco:IOS XE Software