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CRITICAL: THIS VULNERABILITY IS ACTIVELY BEING EXPLOITED IN THE WILD (CISA KEV CATALOG)
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CVE-2017-3881

Exploited

Cisco IOS and Cisco IOS XE Software - Cluster Management Protocol (CMP)

Cisco CVSS 9.8 Updated April 30, 2026

Executive Risk Summary

"A vulnerability in the Cisco Cluster Management Protocol (CMP) processing code could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a reload of an affected device or remotely execute code with elevated privileges. This affects various Cisco devices, including Catalyst switches and Embedded Service 2020 switches."

Anticipated Attack Path

  1. 1. Establish a Telnet session with an affected Cisco device
  2. 2. Send malformed CMP-specific Telnet options to the device
  3. 3. Execute arbitrary code or cause a reload of the device

Am I Vulnerable?

  • Verify if Telnet connections are accepted by the device
  • Check for the presence of CMP-specific Telnet options in the device configuration
  • Validate the device's software version against known vulnerable versions

Operational Audit Arsenal

Target Type Network Device
Target Asset telnetd
Standard Path /usr/sbin/telnetd

Manual Verification Required

This is a non-Windows asset (Cisco). Use the target asset details and official path provided above to verify your current version against the official vendor advisories listed below.

Patch Impact Forecast

Reboot Required Likely

Potential network disruption during reboot

Internal Work Notes

CVE-2017-3881: Unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in Cisco IOS and Cisco IOS XE Software - Cluster Management Protocol (CMP)

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Intelligence Sources

Related Cisco Threats

Data compiled from NVD, MSRC, and CISA KEV Catalog. Intelligence synthesized via AI. Scripts provided for diagnostic purposes under MIT License.