A vulnerability in the SNMP implementation of could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to cause a reload of the affected system or to remotely execute code. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted SNMP packet to the affected device. The vulnerability is due to a buffer overflow in the affected code area. The vulnerability affects all versions of SNMP (versions 1, 2c, and 3). The attacker must know the SNMP read only community string (SNMP version 2c or earlier) or the user credentials (SNMPv3). An exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code and obtain full control of the system or to cause a reload of the affected system. Only traffic directed to the affected system can be used to exploit this vulnerability.
Use CWE-119, Cisco vendor hub and Ios product page to widen CVE-2017-6742 into its surrounding weakness, vendor, and product context.
Compare it with CVE-2025-20352, CVE-2025-20363 and CVE-2025-20154 for nearby disclosures in the same product family. Additional editorial context is available in The Weekly Cybersecurity Brief: January 30th, 2026.