Low
CVE-2024-20399
CVE-2024-20399
Description
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated user in possession of Administrator credentials to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system of an affected device.
This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of arguments that are passed to specific configuration CLI commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by including crafted input as the argument of an affected configuration CLI command. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system with the privileges of root.
Note: To successfully exploit this vulnerability on a Cisco NX-OS device, an attacker must have Administrator credentials. The following Cisco devices already allow administrative users to access the underlying operating system through the bash-shell feature, so, for these devices, this vulnerability does not grant any additional privileges:
Nexus 3000 Series Switches
Nexus 7000 Series Switches that are running Cisco NX-OS Software releases 8.1(1) and later
Nexus 9000 Series Switches in standalone NX-OS mode
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Technical Analysis
This vulnerability is highly technical in that it is closer to a jailbreak than a traditional exploit. The Cisco Nexus switches affected by this exploit:
MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches, Nexus 3000, 6000, 7000, 9000 series Switches, and the Nexus 5500 and 5600 Series Platform switches all run a modified version of the Linux Kernel that is abstracted to prevent a user from accessing underlying OS commands not required for switching operation.
CVE-2024-20399 allows an attacker to break through this abstraction layer to issue OS commands directly to the Linux Kernel, allowing the attacker full control of the switch’s underlying operating system.
Through this access, attackers can install implants, routes, or other malicious configuration settings to the switch beyond the standard Cisco command interface, possibly bypassing some logging.
Although possession of such access to a critical and wide-ranging device like a Nexus switch is a powerful tool to an attacker, the advantage this gains is marginal as it required administrative-level credentials to implement the exploit.
Standard controls are recommended to mitigate this attack- certainly, patching is important, but relatively few individuals in an organization require administrative access to Nexus-type switches, and their size and criticality to business uptime preclude them from frequent changes. Limiting the number of individuals with access and logging/alerting to login events on them would not create an undue burden in most cases.
CVSS V3 Severity and Metrics
General Information
Vendors
- cisco
Products
- nx-os 10.1(1),
- nx-os 10.1(2),
- nx-os 10.2(1),
- nx-os 10.2(1q),
- nx-os 10.2(2),
- nx-os 10.2(3),
- nx-os 10.2(4),
- nx-os 10.2(5),
- nx-os 10.2(6),
- nx-os 10.2(7),
- nx-os 10.2(8),
- nx-os 10.3(1),
- nx-os 10.3(2),
- nx-os 10.3(3),
- nx-os 10.3(4a),
- nx-os 10.3(5),
- nx-os 10.3(99w),
- nx-os 10.3(99x),
- nx-os 10.4(1),
- nx-os 10.4(2),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(1),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(1a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(2),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(2a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(3),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(3a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(4),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(4a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(5),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(5a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(5b),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(6),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(7),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a6(8),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(1),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(10),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(10a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(11),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(11a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(11b),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(2),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(3),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(4),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(4a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(5),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(6),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(7),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(7a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(7b),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(8),
- nx-os 6.0(2)a8(9),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(1),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(10),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(1a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(2),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(2a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(3),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(3a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(4),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(4a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(5),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(5a),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(5b),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(5c),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(6),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(7),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(8),
- nx-os 6.0(2)u6(9),
- nx-os 6.2(1),
- nx-os 6.2(10),
- nx-os 6.2(11),
- nx-os 6.2(11b),
- nx-os 6.2(11c),
- nx-os 6.2(11d),
- nx-os 6.2(11e),
- nx-os 6.2(12),
- nx-os 6.2(13),
- nx-os 6.2(13a),
- nx-os 6.2(13b),
- nx-os 6.2(14),
- nx-os 6.2(15),
- nx-os 6.2(16),
- nx-os 6.2(17),
- nx-os 6.2(18),
- nx-os 6.2(19),
- nx-os 6.2(2),
- nx-os 6.2(20),
- nx-os 6.2(20a),
- nx-os 6.2(21),
- nx-os 6.2(22),
- nx-os 6.2(23),
- nx-os 6.2(24),
- nx-os 6.2(24a),
- nx-os 6.2(25),
- nx-os 6.2(27),
- nx-os 6.2(29),
- nx-os 6.2(2a),
- nx-os 6.2(3),
- nx-os 6.2(31),
- nx-os 6.2(33),
- nx-os 6.2(5),
- nx-os 6.2(5a),
- nx-os 6.2(5b),
- nx-os 6.2(6),
- nx-os 6.2(6a),
- nx-os 6.2(6b),
- nx-os 6.2(7),
- nx-os 6.2(8),
- nx-os 6.2(8a),
- nx-os 6.2(8b),
- nx-os 6.2(9),
- nx-os 6.2(9a),
- nx-os 6.2(9b),
- nx-os 6.2(9c),
- nx-os 7.0(3)f1(1),
- nx-os 7.0(3)f2(1),
- nx-os 7.0(3)f2(2),
- nx-os 7.0(3)f3(1),
- nx-os 7.0(3)f3(2),
- nx-os 7.0(3)f3(3),
- nx-os 7.0(3)f3(3a),
- nx-os 7.0(3)f3(3c),
- nx-os 7.0(3)f3(4),
- nx-os 7.0(3)f3(5),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(1),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(2),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(3),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(4),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(5),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(6),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(7),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(8),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(8a),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(8b),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(8z),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i4(9),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i5(1),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i5(2),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i6(1),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i6(2),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(1),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(10),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(2),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(3),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(4),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(5),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(5a),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(6),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(7),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(8),
- nx-os 7.0(3)i7(9),
- nx-os 7.1(0)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.1(0)n1(1a),
- nx-os 7.1(0)n1(1b),
- nx-os 7.1(1)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.1(2)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.1(3)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.1(3)n1(2),
- nx-os 7.1(4)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.1(5)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.1(5)n1(1b),
- nx-os 7.2(0)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.2(1)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.2(2)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.2(2)d1(2),
- nx-os 7.3(0)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(0)dx(1),
- nx-os 7.3(0)dy(1),
- nx-os 7.3(0)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(1)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(1)dy(1),
- nx-os 7.3(1)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(10)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(11)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(12)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(13)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(14)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(2)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(2)d1(2),
- nx-os 7.3(2)d1(3),
- nx-os 7.3(2)d1(3a),
- nx-os 7.3(2)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(3)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(3)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(4)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(4)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(5)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(5)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(6)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(6)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(7)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(7)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(7)n1(1a),
- nx-os 7.3(7)n1(1b),
- nx-os 7.3(8)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(8)n1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(9)d1(1),
- nx-os 7.3(9)n1(1),
- nx-os 8.0(1),
- nx-os 8.1(1),
- nx-os 8.1(1a),
- nx-os 8.1(1b),
- nx-os 8.1(2),
- nx-os 8.1(2a),
- nx-os 8.2(1),
- nx-os 8.2(10),
- nx-os 8.2(11),
- nx-os 8.2(2),
- nx-os 8.2(3),
- nx-os 8.2(4),
- nx-os 8.2(5),
- nx-os 8.2(6),
- nx-os 8.2(7),
- nx-os 8.2(7a),
- nx-os 8.2(8),
- nx-os 8.2(9),
- nx-os 8.3(1),
- nx-os 8.3(2),
- nx-os 8.4(1),
- nx-os 8.4(1a),
- nx-os 8.4(2),
- nx-os 8.4(2a),
- nx-os 8.4(2b),
- nx-os 8.4(2c),
- nx-os 8.4(2d),
- nx-os 8.4(2e),
- nx-os 8.4(2f),
- nx-os 8.4(3),
- nx-os 8.4(4),
- nx-os 8.4(4a),
- nx-os 8.4(5),
- nx-os 8.4(6),
- nx-os 8.4(6a),
- nx-os 8.4(7),
- nx-os 8.4(8),
- nx-os 8.4(9),
- nx-os 8.5(1),
- nx-os 9.2(1),
- nx-os 9.2(1a),
- nx-os 9.2(2),
- nx-os 9.2(2t),
- nx-os 9.2(2v),
- nx-os 9.2(3),
- nx-os 9.2(4),
- nx-os 9.3(1),
- nx-os 9.3(10),
- nx-os 9.3(11),
- nx-os 9.3(12),
- nx-os 9.3(13),
- nx-os 9.3(2),
- nx-os 9.3(2a),
- nx-os 9.3(3),
- nx-os 9.3(4),
- nx-os 9.3(5),
- nx-os 9.3(6),
- nx-os 9.3(7),
- nx-os 9.3(7a),
- nx-os 9.3(8),
- nx-os 9.3(9),
- nx-os 9.4(1),
- nx-os 9.4(1a),
- nx-os 9.4(2)
References
Exploit
A PoC added here by the AKB Worker must have at least 2 GitHub stars.
