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. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of packet data. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted packet to an affected device on TCP port 4786. Only Smart Install client switches are affected. Cisco devices that are configured as a Smart Install director are not affected by this vulnerability. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd40673.
Data as of 2 Nov 2026 · NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS
Defenders still triage vulnerabilities one CVE at a time, while increasingly automated attackers combine them at machine speed. Omenwave models the plausible pathways by which this CVE could be chained with others — surfacing them for research and awareness, with evidence for each step.
No plausible forward hops are modelled from this CVE in the current corpus (it may be a terminal impact, or an independent entry point rather than a continuation).
Open in the interactive explorer →Modelled plausible chaining potential derived from public CVE metadata (CVSS, CWE, CPE). Not a confirmed real-world exploit chain and contains no exploitation detail. For research and awareness only.
Methodology · Interactive explorer · JSON: /cve/CVE-2018-0156