CVE-2017-12238

A vulnerability in the Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) code of Cisco IOS 15.0 through 15.4 for Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches could allow an…

Browse: All 2017 CVEs · All vendors

CVSS score
6.5 Medium
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CISA KEV
Yes — actively exploited (added 2022-03-03, remediation due 2022-03-24)
Weakness (CWE)
CWE-399
Published
2017-09-29
Last modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Analyzed

Description

A vulnerability in the Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) code of Cisco IOS 15.0 through 15.4 for Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to cause a C6800-16P10G or C6800-16P10G-XL type line card to crash, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to a memory management issue in the affected software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by creating a large number of VPLS-generated MAC entries in the MAC address table of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a C6800-16P10G or C6800-16P10G-XL type line card to crash, resulting in a DoS condition. This vulnerability affects Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches that are running a vulnerable release of Cisco IOS Software and have a Cisco C6800-16P10G or C6800-16P10G-XL line card in use with Supervisor Engine 6T. To be vulnerable, the device must also be configured with VPLS and the C6800-16P10G or C6800-16P10G-XL line card needs to be the core-facing MPLS interfaces. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCva61927.

Affected products

Affected ranges per NVD CPE data; confirm exact versions in the vendor advisory.

Required action (CISA)

Apply updates per vendor instructions. Federal remediation deadline: 2022-03-24.

How to prioritize this

This vulnerability is on the CISA KEV list, meaning it is being actively exploited — treat it as urgent regardless of the raw CVSS number. Use the live CVE lookup for the latest NVD data, and the CVSS 3.1 calculator to model your own environmental score. For the actively exploited vulnerabilities that matter this week, read The Exploit HQ daily security brief.

References

FAQ

Is CVE-2017-12238 actively exploited?

Yes. CISA added CVE-2017-12238 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-03-03, with a federal remediation deadline of 2022-03-24. A KEV listing means real-world exploitation is confirmed, so patching this should be prioritized above many higher-CVSS bugs that aren't being exploited.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-12238?

CVE-2017-12238 has a CVSS base score of 6.5 (Medium). Its vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Related vulnerabilities

Data source: NVD & CISA KEV. Shown as-is; nothing added. Last generated from NVD data — re-check the live tool for updates.