CVE-2017-3883: A vulnerability in the authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) implementation of Cisco Firepower Extensible Operating System (FXOS) and NX-OS System

A vulnerability in the authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) implementation of Cisco Firepower Extensible Operating System (FXOS) and NX-OS System

A vulnerability in the authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) implementation of Cisco Firepower Extensible Operating System (FXOS) and NX-OS System Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to reload. The vulnerability occurs because AAA processes prevent the NX-OS System Manager from receiving keepalive messages when an affected device receives a high rate of login attempts, such as in a brute-force login attack. System memory can run low on the FXOS devices under the same conditions, which could cause the AAA process to unexpectedly restart or cause the device to reload. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by performing a brute-force login attack against a device that is configured with AAA security services. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to reload. This vulnerability affects the following Cisco products if they are running Cisco FXOS or NX-OS System Software that is configured for AAA services: Firepower 4100 Series Next-Generation Firewall, Firepower 9300 Security Appliance, Multilayer Director Switches, Nexus 1000V Series Switches, Nexus 1100 Series Cloud Services Plat

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by psirt@cisco.com

What it means for a small business

Firepower Extensible Operating System is network equipment or remote-access software: the box between your office and the internet. These are a favorite target because breaking one opens the whole office.

If an IT provider set it up, ask them to confirm the firmware version and the date it was updated. If nobody looks after it, that's the bigger problem.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 4.5%, top 9% of all CVEs. That’s above average: worth scheduling this week. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

Weekly security brief

The flaws that hit local websites, every Friday.

One short email: what got exploited this week, which WordPress plugins broke, and what to check. Unsubscribe in one click.