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Unified Computing SystemHardware / appliance · Cisco

CVE-2012-4073

MEDIUM · 5.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-09-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The KVM subsystem in the client in Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) does not verify X.509 certificates from SSL servers, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers, and read or modify KVM data, via a crafted certificate, aka Bug ID CSCte90332.

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

The KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) client in Cisco Unified Computing System fails to verify X.509 certificates from SSL servers, allowing man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof legitimate servers and intercept or manipulate KVM session data by presenting a crafted certificate.

MitigationImplement proper X.509 certificate chain validation in the KVM client, including hostname verification and trust chain checking against trusted Certificate Authorities.

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
Unified Computing SystemHardware / 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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N

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. Confirm KVM functionality is enabled on Cisco UCS
    Access the Cisco UCS Manager and navigate to the server's KVM console or check the management interface for active KVM sessions. Alternatively, use UCS Manager CLI: 'show kvm' or check through the web interface under 'KVM Console'.
    Affected if KVM sessions can be initiated or are currently active on the system
  2. Determine if KVM uses SSL/TLS for remote sessions
    Check the KVM configuration settings in Cisco UCS Manager under the management interface or vKVM settings. Verify whether the KVM client connects using HTTPS/SSL-based protocols for remote access.
    Affected if KVM sessions use unencrypted or SSL-encrypted connections without proper certificate validation configuration
  3. Inspect SSL certificate validation configuration for KVM
    Review the KVM client settings or UCS management interface for certificate verification options. Check whether 'Verify Server Certificate' or similar options are present and enabled. In the UCS Manager, examine the KVM redirection settings under the service profile or management blade configuration.
    Affected if Certificate verification is disabled, not configurable, or absent from the KVM client settings
  4. Check for any custom trust store configuration for KVM certificates
    Examine whether a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) store has been configured for the KVM client. Look for any imported certificates or trust chain configuration within the UCS management plane.
    Affected if No trusted CA certificates are configured or the client accepts any certificate without validation

You are affected if KVM remote sessions are used on Cisco Unified Computing System and the KVM client does not perform proper X.509 certificate chain and hostname verification before establishing SSL connections.

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

Implement proper X.509 certificate chain validation in the KVM client, including hostname verification and trust chain checking against trusted Certificate Authorities.

Fix this in Unified Computing System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
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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-2012-4073 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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