Nx OsOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2013-1191
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 · uneditedCisco NX-OS 6.1 before 6.1(5) on Nexus 7000 devices, when local authentication and multiple VDCs are enabled, allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges within an unintended VDC via crafted SSH key data in an SSH session to a management interface, aka Bug ID CSCud88400.
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 confidenceCisco NX-OS 6.1 before 6.1(5) on Nexus 7000 switches contains a privilege escalation vulnerability when local authentication and multiple Virtual Device Contexts (VDCs) are enabled. An authenticated remote attacker can send crafted SSH key data through the management interface to gain elevated privileges within a VDC they were not authorized to access.
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
= 6.1= 6.1\(1\)= 6.1\(2\)= 6.1\(3\)= 6.1\(4\)= 6.1\(4a\)
Nexus 7000Hardware / appliance
all versions
Nexus 7000 10 SlotHardware / appliance
all versions
Nexus 7000 18 SlotHardware / appliance
all versions
Nexus 7000 9 SlotHardware / 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
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Authentication
- Single
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:H/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 the Cisco NX-OS versionExecute `show version` on the switch CLI and locate the 'NX-OS' or 'system:' version lineAffected if The version is 6.1, 6.1(1), 6.1(2), 6.1(3), 6.1(4), or 6.1(4a) - any release before 6.1(5)
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Confirm local authentication is enabledExecute `show running-config | include aaa` and look for local authentication settings such as 'aaa authentication login local' or 'username' configured locallyAffected if Local authentication is explicitly configured (as opposed to centralized AAA/TACACS/RADIUS only)
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Verify multiple VDCs are configuredExecute `show vdc summary` or `show vdc detail` to list all Virtual Device Contexts on the systemAffected if More than one VDC is present (the default VDC plus at least one additional VDC)
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Confirm management interface accessibilityVerify the management interface (mgmt0) is reachable and SSH service is enabled using `show interface mgmt0` and `show ssh`Affected if SSH is enabled on the management interface and accessible from attacker-controlled networks
The environment is affected if the NX-OS version is 6.1.x before 6.1(5), local authentication is enabled, multiple VDCs exist, and the management interface with SSH is accessible.
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 dataUpgrade Cisco NX-OS to version 6.1(5) or later. Alternatively, if upgrade is not immediately feasible, consider disabling local authentication (use centralized AAA), or reduce the number of VDCs to minimize attack surface while planning the upgrade.
Fix this in Nx Os
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,816.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-1191 — 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-2013-1191 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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