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Nx OsOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2012-0352

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-02-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 NX-OS 4.2.x before 4.2(1)SV1(5.1) on Nexus 1000v series switches; 4.x and 5.0.x before 5.0(2)N1(1) on Nexus 5000 series switches; and 4.2.x before 4.2.8, 5.0.x before 5.0.5, and 5.1.x before 5.1.1 on Nexus 7000 series switches allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (netstack process crash and device reload) via a malformed IP packet, aka Bug IDs CSCti23447, CSCti49507, and CSCtj01991.

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 vulnerability allows remote attackers to crash the netstack process on affected Cisco Nexus switches by sending malformed IP packets, causing device reload and denial of service. The issue affects multiple Nexus switch series (1000v, 5000, and 7000) running specific versions of NX-OS prior to the fixed releases.

MitigationUpgrade NX-OS to the fixed versions (4.2(1)SV1(5.1) for Nexus 1000v, 5.0(2)N1(1) for Nexus 5000, 4.2.8/5.0.5/5.1.1 for Nexus 7000) or later. If upgrades cannot be performed immediately, consider network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to untrusted networks.

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:= 4.0\(0\)n1\(1a\)= 4.0\(0\)n1\(2\)= 4.0\(0\)n1\(2a\)= 4.0\(1a\)n1\(1\)= 4.0\(1a\)n1\(1a\)= 4.0\(1a\)n2\(1\)= 4.0\(1a\)n2\(1a\)= 4.0\(4\)sv1\(1\)= 4.0\(4\)sv1\(2\)= 4.0\(4\)sv1\(3\)= 4.0\(4\)sv1\(3a\)= 4.0\(4\)sv1\(3b\)
Nexus 1000vHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Nexus 5000Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Nexus 5010Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Nexus 5020Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Nexus 5548pHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Nexus 5548upHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Nexus 5596upHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/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 Nexus switch model
    Run 'show inventory' or 'show version' on the device CLI to determine the exact model (e.g., Nexus 1000v, 5000, 5010, 5020, 5548p, 5548up, 5596up, or 7000 series)
    Affected if The model is any of: Nexus 1000v, Nexus 5000, Nexus 5010, Nexus 5020, Nexus 5548p, Nexus 5548up, or Nexus 5596up (these are in the affected product list)
  2. Identify the NX-OS version
    Run 'show version' to display the installed NX-OS software version
    Affected if The version matches any of: 4.0(0)n1(1a), 4.0(0)n1(2), 4.0(0)n1(2a), 4.0(1a)n1(1), 4.0(1a)n1(1a), 4.0(1a)n2(1), 4.0(1a)n2(1a), 4.0(4)sv1(1), 4.0(4)sv1(2), 4.0(4)sv1(3), 4.0(4)sv1(3a), or 4.0(4)sv1(3b); OR for Nexus 1000v/5000 models the version is any (all versions affected)
  3. Confirm netstack process is active
    Run 'show process | include netstack' to verify the netstack process is running on the device
    Affected if The netstack process is running (this process handles IP packet processing and is required for the vulnerability to be exploitable)

The environment is affected if the device is a Cisco Nexus 1000v, 5000, 5010, 5020, 5548p, 5548up, or 5596up switch running a vulnerable NX-OS version (4.0.xn1/xn2/4sv1 family for NX-OS or any version for the specific Nexus models listed) with netstack enabled.

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 NX-OS to the fixed versions (4.2(1)SV1(5.1) for Nexus 1000v, 5.0(2)N1(1) for Nexus 5000, 4.2.8/5.0.5/5.1.1 for Nexus 7000) or later. If upgrades cannot be performed immediately, consider network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to untrusted networks.

Fix this in Nx Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,920
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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-2012-0352 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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