📄 Description (English)
Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software SNMP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability — The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) subsystem of Cisco IOS and IOS XE contains a vulnerability that could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to remotely execute code.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2017-6737 is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in the SNMP subsystem of Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software, allowing an authenticated remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on affected network devices. With a CVSS score of 9.0 and publicly available exploits, this vulnerability poses an extreme risk to organizations relying on Cisco networking infrastructure. Successful exploitation could lead to complete device compromise, enabling attackers to intercept traffic, pivot within networks, or cause widespread service disruption. Despite being a 2017 vulnerability, unpatched legacy Cisco devices remain prevalent in many enterprise environments.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 8, 2026 15:39
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability has significant impact across Saudi Arabia's critical infrastructure given the widespread deployment of Cisco networking equipment. Banking sector (SAMA-regulated institutions) relies heavily on Cisco routers and switches for core banking networks. Government entities under NCA oversight, including ministries and public services, use Cisco infrastructure extensively. Energy sector organizations including Saudi Aramco and utility companies depend on Cisco devices for operational and IT networks. Telecom providers like STC, Mobily, and Zain use Cisco equipment in their backbone infrastructure. Healthcare facilities and smart city projects (NEOM, The Line) with Cisco deployments are also at risk. SNMP is commonly enabled for network monitoring, making the attack surface particularly broad.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking
Government
Energy
Telecommunications
Healthcare
Defense
Transportation
Education
⚖️ 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. Audit SNMP configurations — disable SNMP if not required, or restrict SNMP access to trusted management stations only using ACLs
3. Change default SNMP community strings immediately; use SNMPv3 with authentication and encryption
Patching Guidance:
4. Apply Cisco security patches as referenced in Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-20170629-snmp
5. Upgrade to fixed IOS/IOS XE versions as specified by Cisco TAC
6. Prioritize internet-facing and DMZ devices for immediate patching
Compensating Controls:
7. Implement infrastructure ACLs to restrict SNMP access (UDP ports 161/162) to authorized management stations only
8. Deploy network segmentation to isolate management plane traffic
9. Enable Control Plane Policing (CoPP) on Cisco devices to rate-limit SNMP traffic
10. Monitor for anomalous SNMP traffic patterns using IDS/IPS signatures
Detection Rules:
11. Deploy Snort/Suricata rules for CVE-2017-6737 exploitation attempts
12. Monitor syslog for unexpected device reloads or configuration changes
13. Alert on SNMP access from unauthorized source IPs
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع أجهزة Cisco IOS و IOS XE في بيئتكم باستخدام أدوات جرد الأصول
2. مراجعة إعدادات SNMP — تعطيل SNMP إذا لم يكن مطلوباً، أو تقييد الوصول إلى محطات الإدارة الموثوقة فقط باستخدام قوائم التحكم بالوصول
3. تغيير سلاسل مجتمع SNMP الافتراضية فوراً واستخدام SNMPv3 مع المصادقة والتشفير
إرشادات التصحيح:
4. تطبيق تصحيحات سيسكو الأمنية المشار إليها في الاستشارة الأمنية cisco-sa-20170629-snmp
5. الترقية إلى إصدارات IOS/IOS XE المصححة كما حددها فريق سيسكو
6. إعطاء الأولوية للأجهزة المواجهة للإنترنت والمنطقة المنزوعة السلاح للتصحيح الفوري
الضوابط التعويضية:
7. تنفيذ قوائم التحكم بالوصول للبنية التحتية لتقييد وصول SNMP (منافذ UDP 161/162) لمحطات الإدارة المصرح بها فقط
8. نشر تجزئة الشبكة لعزل حركة مرور مستوى الإدارة
9. تفعيل سياسة مستوى التحكم (CoPP) على أجهزة سيسكو للحد من حركة مرور SNMP
10. مراقبة أنماط حركة مرور SNMP غير الطبيعية باستخدام أنظمة كشف/منع التسلل
قواعد الكشف:
11. نشر قواعد Snort/Suricata لمحاولات استغلال CVE-2017-6737
12. مراقبة سجلات النظام لإعادة تشغيل الأجهزة غير المتوقعة أو تغييرات التكوين
13. التنبيه عند الوصول إلى SNMP من عناوين IP غير مصرح بها
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
2-3-1 (Network Security)
2-5-1 (Vulnerability Management)
2-2-1 (Asset Management)
2-6-1 (Security Monitoring)
2-9-1 (Configuration Management)
🔵 SAMA CSF
3.3.3 (Network Security Management)
3.3.5 (Vulnerability Management)
3.3.4 (Security Monitoring and Event Management)
3.3.7 (Infrastructure Security)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.8.8 (Management of technical vulnerabilities)
A.8.9 (Configuration management)
A.8.20 (Networks security)
A.8.21 (Security of network services)
A.8.16 (Monitoring activities)
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0
6.3.3 (Patching security vulnerabilities)
2.2.1 (System configuration standards)
1.3 (Network access controls)
11.4 (Intrusion detection/prevention)
🔗 References & Sources 0
No references.
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
Cisco:IOS and IOS XE Software