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A vulnerability in the Smart Install feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition, or to execute arbitrary code on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of packet data. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted Smart Install message to an affected device on TCP port 4786. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a buffer overflow on the affected device, which could have the following impacts: Triggering a reload of the device, Allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the device, Causing an indefinite loop on the affected device that triggers a watchdog crash. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvg76186.
Use CWE-20, Cisco vendor hub and Ios product page to widen CVE-2018-0171 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.