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IOS and IOS XE
PRODUCT· dossier confidence 40%
Cisco IOS and IOS XE operate as the foundational software for Cisco networking infrastructure but suffer from a persistent pattern of high-severity remote code execution vulnerabilities, particularly within the SNMP and DHCP subsystems, requiring continuous patching and strict access controls to mitigate exploitation risks.
PROFILE
CategorynetworkingWhat they doCisco IOS and IOS XE are operating systems for Cisco networking hardware, providing routing, switching, and network management capabilities.Founded1984
Websitehttps://www.cisco.com ↗
SECURITY POSTURE
The security posture is characterized by a high frequency of high-severity remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities across multiple subsystems including SNMP, DHCP, QoS, and UDP processing, indicating systemic issues in input validation and memory management within the codebase.
Notable failures
- CVE-2025-20352: SNMP stack-based buffer overflow RCE
- CVE-2017-6742: SNMP authenticated remote RCE
- CVE-2017-3881: CMP unauthenticated remote RCE
Patterns: repeated unpatched edge-device RCEs; systemic SNMP subsystem vulnerabilities; unauthenticated remote RCEs across multiple protocol handlers
FAILURE HISTORY · 18
| DATE | EVENT | SEV | SUMMARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-25 | CVE-2017-3881 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE suffered a remote code execution vulnerability in the Cluster Management Protocol allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute elevated code or reload devices. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2018-0151 | high | An unauthenticated remote attacker could execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges in Cisco IOS and IOS XE QoS subsystems. |
| 2021-11-03 | CVE-2018-0171 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE Smart Install allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute code, causing device reloads, DoS, or full compromise. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2017-6739 | high | An authenticated remote attacker could execute code or reload a Cisco IOS/XE device via an SNMP vulnerability. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2017-6743 | high | An authenticated remote attacker could execute code via the SNMP subsystem in Cisco IOS and IOS XE software. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2017-6740 | high | An authenticated remote attacker could execute code on Cisco IOS and IOS XE devices via an SNMP vulnerability. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2017-6738 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE SNMP subsystems allowed authenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via CVE-2017-6738. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2017-6736 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE software contained an SNMP remote code execution vulnerability allowing authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2017-12240 | high | An unauthenticated remote attacker could execute arbitrary code and gain full control of Cisco IOS and IOS XE systems via a DHCP relay subsystem vulnerability. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2017-6737 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE software suffered a remote code execution vulnerability in its SNMP subsystem that allowed authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely. |
| 2025-09-29 | CVE-2025-20352 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE SNMP RCE DoS |
| 2023-10-10 | CVE-2023-20109 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE Group Encrypted Transport VPN out-of-bounds write vulnerability allows remote code execution. |
| 2023-04-19 | CVE-2017-6742 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE SNMP RCE vulnerability exploited in the wild |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2017-6627 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE software suffered a high-severity unauthenticated remote denial-of-service vulnerability in UDP packet processing that was actively exploited in the wild. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2018-0173 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software suffered an unpatched improper input validation vulnerability in DHCPv4 packet handling that caused denial-of-service and was actively exploited in the wild. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2018-0172 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software suffered a DoS vulnerability in DHCP option 82 encapsulation that was actively exploited in the wild. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2017-12237 | high | Cisco IOS and IOS XE software suffered a DoS vulnerability in its IKEv2 module that allowed unauthenticated remote attackers to crash devices, highlighting systemic unpatched flaws in foundational networking gear. |
| 2022-03-03 | CVE-2017-6663 | high | An unauthenticated adjacent attacker could force Cisco IOS/IOS XE autonomic nodes to reload, causing a denial-of-service. |
DOSSIER SOURCES
- Apple (AAPL) Company Profile & Description - Stock Analysis · stockanalysis.com
- Cisco - Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
Open questions: Current patching SLA for IOS XE vulnerabilities · Specific mitigation configurations for SNMP RCEs in IOS XE
DOSSIER · dex-RAG synthesis · grounded in our own collection + trusted sourcesbuilt 2026-07-16 04:42:39.461819+00:00