CVE-2018-0294

A vulnerability in the write-erase feature of Cisco FXOS Software and Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to configure an unauthorized administrator account for an affected device. The vulnerability exists because the affected software does not properly delete sensitive files when certain CLI commands are used to clear the device configuration and reload a device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by logging into an affected device as an administrative user and configuring an unauthorized account for the device. The account would not require a password for authentication and would be accessible only via a Secure Shell (SSH) connection to the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to configure an unauthorized account that has administrative privileges, does not require a password for authentication, and does not appear in the running configuration or the audit logs for the affected device. This vulnerability affects Firepower 4100 Series Next-Generation Firewalls, Firepower 9300 Security Appliance, Nexus 1000V Series Switches, Nexus 1100 Series Cloud Services Platforms, Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders, Nexus 3500 Platform Switches, Nexus 4000 Series Switches, Nexus 5500 Platform Switches, Nexus 5600 Platform Switches, Nexus 6000 Series Switches, UCS 6100 Series Fabric Interconnects, UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects, UCS 6300 Series Fabric Interconnects. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd13993, CSCvd34845, CSCvd34857, CSCvd34862, CSCvd34879, CSCve35753.

Published: 2018-06-20 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2018-0294 is rated Low Risk (39.8/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.47%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2018-0294

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.28% 0.47% +0.18%
2 2026-03-17 0.19% 0.28% +0.09%
3 2026-01-25 0.19%

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2018-0294

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.7 3.0 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
0.8 5.9 [email protected]
7.2 2.0 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:L)
Requires local access to the target system.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
3.9 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2018-0294

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2018-0294

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
cisco nx-os 7.3\(2\)n1\(0.354\) cpe:2.3:o:cisco:nx-os:7.3\(2\)n1\(0.354\):*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco nx-os 5.2\(1\)sv3\(1.10\) cpe:2.3:o:cisco:nx-os:5.2\(1\)sv3\(1.10\):*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco nx-os 8.8\(3.5\)s0 cpe:2.3:o:cisco:nx-os:8.8\(3.5\)s0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco nx-os 7.0\(3\)i2\(4a\) cpe:2.3:o:cisco:nx-os:7.0\(3\)i2\(4a\):*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco firepower_extensible_operating_system >= 2.1.1, < 2.1.1.86 cpe:2.3:o:cisco:firepower_extensible_operating_system:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco firepower_extensible_operating_system >= 2.2, < 2.2.2.17 cpe:2.3:o:cisco:firepower_extensible_operating_system:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco fxos >= 1.1, < 2.0.1.159 cpe:2.3:o:cisco:fxos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco nx-os 4.1\(2\)e1\(1a\) cpe:2.3:o:cisco:nx-os:4.1\(2\)e1\(1a\):*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2018-0294

cvelogic Threat Intelligence