Background exploitation KEV catalog No authentication
CVE-2017-3881

Cisco IOS and IOS XE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the Cisco Cluster Management Protocol (CMP) processing code in Cisco IOS and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a reload of an affected device or remotely execute code with…

CheckOps priority index
9.3/10 Patch within 24 h
Severity9.8
Probability9.9
Exploitation4/5

Severity = CVSS. Probability = EPSS (FIRST). Exploitation = public signals: KEV, EUVD, ransomware, EPSS above 10 %, no account required.

EPSS · today 99.0% higher than 99.9% of CVEs
CVSS 3.1 9.8 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:
Exploited for 1,684 days 25 Mar 2022
CISA due date 15 Apr 2022 for US federal agencies

Exploitation probability EPSS · FIRST

05010026 Sep05 Oct15 Oct24 Oct02 Nov
EPSS probability (%)Percentile among all CVEs

Exploitation signals 4 / 5

  • KEV catalog (CISA)25 Mar 2022
  • Exploited in EUVD (ENISA)25 Mar 2022
  • Used by ransomwareno
  • EPSS above 10 %99.0%
  • No account, over the networkyes

What to do

Fix

Apply the vendor’s fix as soon as it is available.

CISA guidance: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Meanwhile

Take the service off the internet or restrict access to it, watch the logs and look for signs of compromise.

Manufacturers (CRA)

Exploited vulnerability in your product: early warning to ENISA within 24 h, then notification within 72 h (Article 14 of the Cyber Resilience Act). The CRA explained

Description ENISA EUVD

A vulnerability in the Cisco Cluster Management Protocol (CMP) processing code in Cisco IOS and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a reload of an affected device or remotely execute code with elevated privileges. The Cluster Management Protocol utilizes Telnet internally as a signaling and command protocol between cluster members. The vulnerability is due to the combination of two factors: (1) the failure to restrict the use of CMP-specific Telnet options only to internal, local communications between cluster members and instead accept and process such options over any Telnet connection to an affected device; and (2) the incorrect processing of malformed CMP-specific Telnet options. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending malformed CMP-specific Telnet options while establishing a Telnet session with an affected Cisco device configured to accept Telnet connections. An exploit could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code and obtain full control of the device or cause a reload of the affected device. This affects Catalyst switches, Embedded Service 2020 switches, Enhanced Layer 2 EtherSwitch Service Module, Enhanced Layer 2/3 EtherSwitch Service Module, Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module (CGESM) for HP, IE Industrial Ethernet switches, ME 4924-10GE switch, RF Gateway 10, and SM-X Layer 2/3 EtherSwitch Service Module. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd48893.

Affected products

Cisco IOS and IOS XE SoftwareIOS and IOS XE
Affected versions
  • Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software
Weaknesses (CWE)

Open source packages OSV

Affected libraries according to OSV, with fixed versions.

Timeline

  1. Published

  2. Exploitation reported (ENISA)

  3. Added to the KEV catalog

  4. CISA remediation due date

  5. EPSS peak: 99.0%

References

Other exploited vulnerabilities from the same vendor

  • CVE-2026-76418Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Software and Cisco Secure FTD Software Unchecked Return Value to NULL Pointer Dereference Vulnerability
    5.3 · Rising fast
  • CVE-2026-76519Cisco Secure Email Gateway Relative Path Traversal Vulnerability
    5.8 · Rising fast
  • CVE-2026-76504Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Hex Encoding Vulnerability
    7.5 · Actively exploited
  • CVE-2026-76460Cisco Identity Services Engine Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs Vulnerability
    8.7 · Actively exploited
  • CVE-2026-76461Cisco Secure Email Gateway SQL Injection Vulnerability
    7.2 · Actively exploited
  • CVE-2026-20079Cisco Firewall Management Center Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel Vulnerability
    9.1 · Actively exploited

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Sources: CISA KEV · ENISA EUVD · FIRST EPSS · OSV. Public data aggregated by CheckOps, updated automatically. Source texts remain the property of their authors. All exploited vulnerabilities