CVE-2018-11750 : What You Need to Know

This CVE involves a security issue in the Puppet cisco_ios module related to SSH host key validation.

Understanding CVE-2018-11750

This CVE was published on October 2, 2018, by Puppet.

What is CVE-2018-11750?

The Puppet cisco_ios module in previous releases did not verify a host's identity before establishing an SSH connection. However, starting from version 0.4.0, host key validation is enabled by default.

The Impact of CVE-2018-11750

The lack of host key validation could potentially lead to man-in-the-middle attacks and unauthorized access to systems using the Puppet cisco_ios module.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-11750

This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in the Puppet cisco_ios module allowed for SSH connections to be established without verifying the host's identity, posing a security risk.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Not applicable
Vendor: Not applicable
Versions affected: Not applicable

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by intercepting SSH connections and potentially gaining unauthorized access to systems.

Mitigation and Prevention

Here are the steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade to version 0.4.0 or newer of the Puppet cisco_ios module to enable host key validation.
Implement additional network security measures to prevent unauthorized access.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software to address security vulnerabilities.
Conduct security audits and assessments to identify and mitigate potential risks.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that all systems using the Puppet cisco_ios module are updated to version 0.4.0 or above to enforce host key validation.