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CVE Record

CVE-2018-15377: Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Plug and Play Agent Memory Leak Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the Cisco Network Plug and Play agent, also referred to as the Cisco Open Plug-n-Play agent, of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a memory leak on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation by the affected software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending invalid data to the Cisco Network Plug and Play agent on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a memory leak on the affected device, which could cause the device to reload.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This vulnerability can let an unauthenticated remote attacker make affected Cisco IOS or IOS XE devices leak memory through the Plug and Play agent. If enough memory is consumed, the device may reload, creating a network outage rather than data theft or code execution based on the provided sources.

Executive priority

Treat this as an availability risk to network infrastructure. Prioritize verification on externally reachable, remote-site, core, and operational technology devices, but avoid emergency assumptions unless Cisco guidance or local exposure confirms impact.

Technical view

CVE-2018-15377 is an insufficient input validation issue in the Cisco Network Plug and Play, or Open Plug-n-Play, agent. Invalid data sent to the agent can trigger a memory leak on affected Cisco IOS and IOS XE software, potentially causing device reload. The bundle maps this to CWE-400 resource consumption.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most relevant where affected Cisco IOS or IOS XE devices have the Plug and Play agent reachable by untrusted networks. The provided bundle does not identify specific versions, configurations, ports, or deployment patterns.

Exploitation context

The source bundle states unauthenticated remote exploitation is possible by sending invalid data to the Plug and Play agent. It does not cite public exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as CISA KEV in the provided data.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited in the supplied bundle: no CVSS, no affected version list, and no explicit fix details are included. The key confirmed elements are unauthenticated remote reachability, invalid input, memory leak, possible reload, Cisco IOS/IOS XE context, and CWE-400.

Mitigation direction

  • Review Cisco advisory for affected releases and vendor remediation guidance.
  • Restrict untrusted network access to the Plug and Play agent.
  • Prioritize devices supporting critical routing, switching, or industrial connectivity.
  • Monitor affected devices for memory growth and unexpected reloads.
  • Check CISA ICS advisory for operational technology considerations.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Cisco IOS and IOS XE devices in scope.
  • Determine whether the Plug and Play agent is enabled or reachable.
  • Compare device software against Cisco advisory applicability guidance.
  • Review logs and uptime for reloads consistent with memory exhaustion.
  • Confirm network controls limit access from untrusted sources.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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.

cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-400: Exact CWE lookup

Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

Open ATT&CK lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2018-15377 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

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.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
3Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
CiscoCisco IOS Softwaren/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-400

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-400 · source CWE mapping

Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

Uncontrolled Resource Consumption represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

Open CWE intelligenceSame-CWE CVEs