Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2017-6663 can make affected Cisco IOS and IOS XE devices reload through the Autonomic Networking feature. The impact is availability loss, not data theft. CISA KEV marks it as known exploited, so organizations with exposed affected network gear should treat it as operationally important despite the medium CVSS score.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for affected Cisco network infrastructure because confirmed exploitation can disrupt availability. Focus first on critical routing and switching environments where reloads would interrupt business operations.
Technical view
An unauthenticated adjacent attacker can trigger a denial-of-service condition in autonomic nodes, causing reloads. The CVSS vector is AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. The source bundle names Cisco IOS and IOS XE and affected releases Denali 16.2.1 and 16.3.1, but does not include fixed-release details.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where Cisco IOS or IOS XE devices run Autonomic Networking and are reachable from adjacent network segments. The bundle does not establish remote internet exploitation, confidentiality impact, or integrity impact.
Exploitation context
CISA KEV status supports known exploitation. The provided sources do not describe exploit mechanics, campaigns, affected deployment patterns, or whether exploitation is widespread. Treat adjacency requirements as important for scoping.
Researcher notes
The evidence supports a denial-of-service flaw requiring adjacent network access and no authentication. The source bundle is thin on remediation detail, exploit telemetry, and exact affected configuration prerequisites beyond Autonomic Networking and two known affected Denali releases.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco advisory cisco-sa-20170726-anidos for fixed releases and vendor remediation.
- Prioritize Cisco IOS/IOS XE devices running Denali 16.2.1 or 16.3.1.
- Limit adjacent network access to affected autonomic nodes where possible.
- Track remediation against CISA KEV-driven vulnerability management timelines.
- If vendor remediation is unavailable, seek Cisco guidance before applying workarounds.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cisco IOS and IOS XE devices and record exact software releases.
- Confirm whether Autonomic Networking is enabled on candidate devices.
- Map which adjacent network segments can reach autonomic nodes.
- Check vulnerability scanner findings against Cisco advisory applicability.
- Monitor for unexpected reloads on affected network devices.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2017-6663 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H2.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20170726-anidosCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2017-6663CVE reference · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.