Nx OsOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2013-1178

HIGH · 8.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-04-25

Mitigation only

No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.

See remediation →

88/100

Remediation priority · High

No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Multiple buffer overflows in the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) implementation in Cisco NX-OS on Nexus 7000 devices 4.x and 5.x before 5.2(4) and 6.x before 6.1(1), Nexus 5000 and 5500 devices 4.x and 5.x before 5.1(3)N1(1), Nexus 4000 devices before 4.1(2)E1(1h), Nexus 3000 devices 5.x before 5.0(3)U3(1), Nexus 1000V devices 4.x before 4.2(1)SV1(5.1), MDS 9000 devices 4.x and 5.x before 5.2(4), Unified Computing System (UCS) 6100 and 6200 devices before 2.0(2m), and Connected Grid Router (CGR) 1000 devices before CG4(1) allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via malformed CDP packets, aka Bug IDs CSCtu10630, CSCtu10551, CSCtu10550, CSCtw56581, CSCtu10548, CSCtu10544, and CSCuf61275.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Multiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities exist in the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) implementation across multiple Cisco NX-OS device families including Nexus 7000, 5000/5500, 4000, 3000, 1000V, MDS 9000, UCS 6100/6200, and CGR 1000. The flaws allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via malformed CDP packets due to insufficient bounds checking during CDP packet parsing.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches for the specific versions mentioned (Nexus 7000/5000/5500 to 5.2(4)/5.1(3)N1(1), Nexus 4000 to 4.1(2)E1(1h), Nexus 3000 to 5.0(3)U3(1), Nexus 1000V to 4.2(1)SV1(5.1), MDS to 5.2(4), UCS to 2.0(2m), and CGR to CG4(1)). If patching is immediately unfeasible, consider disabling CDP on untrusted network segments via 'no cdp enable' interface configuration.

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

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Nx OsOperating system

Affected:= 4.0= 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$3a$

Nexus 7000Hardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Nexus 7000 10 SlotHardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Nexus 7000 18 SlotHardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Nexus 7000 9 SlotHardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Mds 9000Hardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Nexus 5000Hardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

Nexus 5010Hardware / appliance

Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Adjacent
Complexity: Low
Authentication: None
Confidentiality: Complete
Integrity: Complete
Availability: Complete

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

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Identify the device model

Execute 'show version' or 'show inventory' to determine the exact Cisco device model (e.g., Nexus 7000, Nexus 5000, MDS 9000, UCS 6100, etc.)

Affected if The device is one of the affected product families: Nexus 7000, 5000/5500, 4000, 3000, 1000V, MDS 9000, UCS 6100/6200, or CGR 1000
Determine the NX-OS version

Execute 'show version' and locate the NX-OS or firmware version string. Compare against the affected version list: 4.0, 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 any version for Nexus 7000/MDS 9000/Nexus 5000/Nexus 5010

Affected if The installed version matches one of the listed affected versions, or the device falls into the 'all versions' category (Nexus 7000 all versions, MDS 9000 all versions, Nexus 5000 all versions, Nexus 5010 all versions)
Verify if CDP is enabled globally

Execute 'show cdp global' to check if Cisco Discovery Protocol is enabled at the global level

Affected if CDP is globally enabled (the vulnerability is only exploitable when CDP is active)
Check CDP-enabled interfaces

Execute 'show cdp neighbors' or 'show cdp interface' to list interfaces where CDP is running. Review each interface configuration with 'show run interface <interface-id>' if needed

Affected if CDP is enabled on any interface (the malformed packet must reach an interface with CDP enabled for exploitation)

You are affected if your device is a supported model (Nexus 7000/5000/4000/3000/1000V, MDS 9000, UCS 6100/6200, or CGR 1000), runs an affected NX-OS version, and has CDP enabled on at least one interface.

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

Remediation

From vendor data

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches for the specific versions mentioned (Nexus 7000/5000/5500 to 5.2(4)/5.1(3)N1(1), Nexus 4000 to 4.1(2)E1(1h), Nexus 3000 to 5.0(3)U3(1), Nexus 1000V to 4.2(1)SV1(5.1), MDS to 5.2(4), UCS to 2.0(2m), and CGR to CG4(1)). If patching is immediately unfeasible, consider disabling CDP on untrusted network segments via 'no cdp enable' interface configuration.

Fix this in Nx Os Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation6.0 h
Implementation12.0 h
Testing6.0 h
Review / QA4.0 h

28.0 hours of engineering $4,980

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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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References

Primary sources

tools.cisco.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-1178 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2013-1178?

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

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

At a glance

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 8.3 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 1.4%

Affects: Nx Os

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Nx Os 28 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $4,980

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2013-1178 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References