Unified Computing SystemHardware / appliance · Cisco
CVE-2012-4082
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 · uneditedMCTools in the Cisco Management Controller in Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) allows local users to gain privileges by entering crafted command-line parameters on a Fabric Interconnect device, aka Bug ID CSCtg20749.
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 · moderate confidenceLocal privilege escalation vulnerability in MCTools component of the Cisco Management Controller within Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS). Authenticated local users can craft specific command-line parameters on Fabric Interconnect devices to bypass normal privilege boundaries and gain elevated system privileges.
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
all versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect hardwareRun 'show inventory' or 'show chassis' command from console/SSH to confirm the device model is a Cisco UCS Fabric InterconnectAffected if Device is a Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect model (e.g., 6248, 6296, 6332, 6454)
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Verify MCTools component availabilityCheck for MCTools presence by attempting to access the component via local console or running 'uctl' commands if available. Look for MCTools binary or command interface on the Fabric Interconnect.Affected if MCTools component is installed and accessible on the Fabric Interconnect
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Confirm local user authentication accessVerify local user accounts exist on the system by checking '/etc/passwd' (if accessible) or using 'show running-config' to list local users, or attempting to authenticate with local credentialsAffected if Local user accounts are configured and can authenticate to the Fabric Interconnect console or CLI
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Test for vulnerable command parameter executionFrom an authenticated local user session, attempt to execute MCTools commands with elevated privilege parameters. Look for ability to run commands as root or with elevated privileges through MCTools interface.Affected if Authenticated local users can execute MCTools with parameters that bypass privilege boundaries
If the system is a Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect with MCTools component and local user authentication is possible, the environment is likely affected by this privilege escalation vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataRestrict physical and console access to Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect devices to trusted personnel only. Monitor and audit local user activities on affected systems. Apply Cisco-provided patches when available for this vulnerability.
Fix this in Unified Computing System
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-4082 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-4082 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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
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