HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-17204
MEDIUM

CVE-2018-17204

CWE-617Published: September 19, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

4.3
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An issue was discovered in Open vSwitch (OvS) 2.7.x through 2.7.6, affecting parse_group_prop_ntr_selection_method in lib/ofp-util.c. When decoding a group mod, it validates the group type and command after the whole group mod has been decoded. The OF1.5 decoder, however, tries to use the type and command earlier, when it might still be invalid. This causes an assertion failure (via OVS_NOT_REACHED). ovs-vswitchd does not enable support for OpenFlow 1.5 by default.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-17204 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityLow
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
openvswitch1 product(s)
openvswitch
Red Hat1 product(s)
openstack
Source: NVD CPE · 6 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/4af6da3b275b764b1afe194df6499b33d2bf4cde
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/4af6da3b275b764b1afe194df6499b33d2bf4cde
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3500
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0053
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0081
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00032.html
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3873-1/
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3500
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0053
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0081
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00032.html
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3873-1/

All References (12)

→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3500Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0053Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0081Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/4af6da3b275b764b1afe194df6499b33d2bf4cdePatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00032.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3873-1/Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3500Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0053Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0081Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/4af6da3b275b764b1afe194df6499b33d2bf4cdePatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00032.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3873-1/Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-17204
CVSS Score4.3 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-617
CISA KEVNo
Affected4 vendor(s)
PublishedSep 19, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-617)

CVE-2020-3615
9.8
CVE-2019-9795
9.8
CVE-2020-6617
8.8
CVE-2020-12417
8.8
CVE-2020-6619
8.8
CVE-2020-6623
8.8

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-17204 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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