CVE-2018-15439
Cisco Small Business Switches Privileged Access Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the Cisco Small Business Switches software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass the user authentication mechanism of an affected device. The vulnerability exists because under specific circumstances, the affected software enables a privileged user account without notifying administrators of the system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using this account to log in to an affected device and execute commands with full admin rights. Cisco has not released software updates that address this vulnerability. This advisory will be updated with fixed software information once fixed software becomes available. There is a workaround to address this vulnerability.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
Cisco Small Business Switches Privileged Access Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the Cisco Small Business Switches software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass the user authentication mechanism of an affected device. The vulnerability exists because under specific circumstances, the affected software enables a privileged user account without notifying administrators of the system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using this account to log in to an affected device and execute commands with full admin rights. Cisco has not released software updates that address this vulnerability. This advisory will be updated with fixed software information once fixed software becomes available. There is a workaround to address this vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2018-15439- CVSS 3.0
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-798
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2018-7317
A vulnerability in the Cisco Small Business Switches software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass the user authentication mechanism of an affected device. The vulnerability exists because under specific circumstances, the affected software enables a privileged user account without notifying administrators of the system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using this account to log in to an affected device and execute commands with full admin rights. Cisco has not released software updates that address this vulnerability. This advisory will be updated with fixed software information once fixed software becomes available. There is a workaround to address this vulnerability.
- Record
EUVD-2018-7317- CVSS 3.0
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-3f6c-mv48-pf3v
A vulnerability in the Cisco Small Business Switches software could allow an unauthenticated,...
A vulnerability in the Cisco Small Business Switches software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass the user authentication mechanism of an affected device. The vulnerability exists because under specific circumstances, the affected software enables a privileged user account without notifying administrators of the system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using this account to log in to an affected device and execute commands with full admin rights. Cisco has not released software updates that address this vulnerability. This advisory will be updated with fixed software information once fixed software becomes available. There is a workaround to address this vulnerability.
- Record
GHSA-3f6c-mv48-pf3v- CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-798
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
A vulnerability in the Cisco Small Business Switches software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass the user authentication mechanism of an affected device. The vulnerability exists because under specific circumstances, the affected software enables a privileged user account without notifying administrators of the system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using this account to log in to an affected device and execute commands with full admin rights. Cisco has not released software updates that address this vulnerability. This advisory will be updated with fixed software information once fixed software becomes available. There is a workaround to address this vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2018-15439- CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 3.0
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 9.3 High
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C - Weakness
- CWE-798
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
- cisco small business 300 series managed switches
- cisco sf200-24 firmware
- cisco sf200-24fp firmware
- cisco sf200-24p firmware
- cisco sf200-48 firmware
- cisco sf200-48p firmware
- cisco sf250-24 firmware
- cisco sf250-24p firmware
- cisco sf250-48 firmware
- cisco sf250-48hp firmware
- cisco sf300-08 firmware
- cisco sf300-24 firmware
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- cisco sf300-24mp firmware
- cisco sf300-24p firmware
- cisco sf300-24pp firmware
- cisco sf300-48 firmware
- cisco sf300-48p firmware
- cisco sf300-48pp firmware
- cisco sf302-08 firmware
- cisco sf302-08mp firmware
- cisco sf302-08mpp firmware
- cisco sf302-08p firmware
- cisco sf302-08pp firmware
- cisco sf350-48 firmware
- cisco sf350-48mp firmware
- cisco sf350-48p firmware
- cisco sf500-24 firmware
- cisco sf500-24p firmware
- cisco sf500-48 firmware
- cisco sf500-48p firmware
- cisco sf550x-24 firmware
- cisco sf550x-24mp firmware
- cisco sf550x-24p firmware
- cisco sf550x-48 firmware
- cisco sf550x-48mp firmware
- cisco sf550x-48p firmware
- cisco sg200-08 firmware
- cisco sg200-08p firmware
- cisco sg200-10fp firmware
- cisco sg200-18 firmware
- cisco sg200-26 firmware
- cisco sg200-26fp firmware
- cisco sg200-26p firmware
- cisco sg200-50 firmware
- cisco sg200-50fp firmware
- cisco sg200-50p firmware
- cisco sg250-08 firmware
- cisco sg250-08hp firmware
- cisco sg250-10p firmware
- cisco sg250-18 firmware
- cisco sg250-26 firmware
- cisco sg250-26hp firmware
- cisco sg250-26p firmware
- cisco sg250-50 firmware
- cisco sg250-50hp firmware
- cisco sg250-50p firmware
- cisco sg250x-24 firmware
- cisco sg250x-24p firmware
- cisco sg250x-48 firmware
- cisco sg250x-48p firmware
- cisco sg300-10 firmware
- cisco sg300-10mp firmware
- cisco sg300-10mpp firmware
- cisco sg300-10p firmware
- cisco sg300-10pp firmware
- cisco sg300-10sfp firmware
- cisco sg300-20 firmware
- cisco sg300-28 firmware
- cisco sg300-28mp firmware
- cisco sg300-28p firmware
- cisco sg300-28pp firmware
- cisco sg300-52 firmware
- cisco sg300-52mp firmware
- cisco sg300-52p firmware
- cisco sg350-10 firmware
- cisco sg350-10mp firmware
- cisco sg350-10p firmware
- cisco sg350-28 firmware
- cisco sg350-28mp firmware
- cisco sg350-28p firmware
- cisco sg350x-24 firmware
- cisco sg350x-24mp firmware
- cisco sg350x-24p firmware
- cisco sg350x-48 firmware
- cisco sg350x-48mp firmware
- cisco sg350x-48p firmware
- cisco sg350xg-24f firmware
- cisco sg350xg-24t firmware
- cisco sg350xg-2f10 firmware
- cisco sg350xg-48t firmware
- cisco sg355-10p firmware
- cisco sg500-28 firmware
- cisco sg500-28mpp firmware
- cisco sg500-28p firmware
- cisco sg500-52 firmware
- cisco sg500-52mp firmware
- cisco sg500-52p firmware
- cisco sg500x-24 firmware
- cisco sg500x-24p firmware
- cisco sg500x-48 firmware
- cisco sg500x-48p firmware
- cisco sg500xg-8f8t firmware
- cisco sg550x-24 firmware
- cisco sg550x-24mp firmware
- cisco sg550x-24mpp firmware
- cisco sg550x-24p firmware
- cisco sg550x-48 firmware
- cisco sg550x-48mp firmware
- cisco sg550x-48p firmware
- cisco sx550x-12f firmware
- cisco sx550x-16ft firmware
- cisco sx550x-24 firmware
- cisco sx550x-24f firmware
- cisco sx550x-24ft firmware
- cisco sx550x-52 firmware
Public exploits
Links only. Every CVE stores no exploit code.
| Source | Link | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Metasploit | Cisco Prime Infrastructure Runrshell Privilege Escalation | 2018-12-08 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, Metasploit, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2018-15439 is a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.8) in Cisco Small Business 300 Series Managed Switches, published November 8, 2018. Public exploit code exists. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 49.7%, the 98th percentile. No source names a fixed version.