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Nx OsOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2011-2569

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-10-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Cisco Nexus OS (aka NX-OS) 4.2 and 5.0 and Cisco Unified Computing System with software 1.4 and 2.0 do not properly restrict command-line options, which allows local users to gain privileges via unspecified vectors, aka Bug IDs CSCtf40008, CSCtg18363, CSCtr44645, CSCts10195, and CSCts10188.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS 4.2/5.0 and Cisco UCS software 1.4/2.0 where improper restriction of command-line options allows authenticated local users to gain elevated privileges. The vulnerability requires local access to the system and affects multiple bug IDs related to command-line interface security controls.

MitigationUpgrade to patched versions of NX-OS and UCS software as specified in Cisco's patch announcements for these bug IDs, or apply available security updates from Cisco.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Nx OsOperating system
Affected:= 4.2= 5.0
Unified Computing SystemHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Unified Computing System Infrastructure And Unified Computing System SoftwareOperating system
Affected:= 1.4\(1j\)= 2.0\(1q\)

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed Cisco product
    Determine whether the system is running Cisco NX-OS or Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) by checking the system prompt or running 'show version' command
    Affected if The system is running NX-OS 4.2, NX-OS 5.0, UCS 1.4(1j), UCS 2.0(1q), or any version of Cisco UCS software
  2. Check NX-OS version
    Execute 'show version' or 'show install active' command to identify the installed NX-OS release version
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 4.2 or exactly 5.0
  3. Check UCS software version
    Execute 'show version' in the UCS Manager CLI or check the firmware version via 'show firmware' to identify the UCS software version
    Affected if The installed version is 1.4(1j), 2.0(1q), or any version of Cisco UCS (all versions affected)
  4. Verify local authenticated user access
    Review local user accounts configured on the system using 'show user-account' or similar local authentication commands
    Affected if Local authenticated user accounts exist with command-line access to the device
  5. Check current user privilege level
    Execute 'show privilege' or check the current user role via 'whoami' or 'show session' commands to determine if you are running with elevated privileges
    Affected if The current user has standard user privileges rather than admin/root privileges, but has local CLI access

You are affected if the system runs NX-OS 4.2, NX-OS 5.0, or any version of Cisco UCS software, and there are local authenticated users with command-line access who could potentially escalate privileges.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to patched versions of NX-OS and UCS software as specified in Cisco's patch announcements for these bug IDs, or apply available security updates from Cisco.

Fix this in Nx Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-2569 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data