Nx OsOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2013-1212
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 · uneditedThe SSL functionality in Cisco NX-OS on the Nexus 1000V does not properly verify X.509 certificates, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers, and intercept or modify Virtual Supervisor Module (VSM) to VMware vCenter communication, via a crafted certificate, aka Bug ID CSCud14837.
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 confidenceThe SSL implementation in Cisco NX-OS on Nexus 1000V fails to properly validate X.509 certificate chains, allowing man-in-the-middle attackers to present crafted certificates and impersonate the VMware vCenter server. This enables interception or modification of Virtual Supervisor Module (VSM) to vCenter communications.
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
all versions
Nexus 1000vHardware / 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the Cisco platform in useRun 'show version' or check the system documentation to confirm whether the device runs Cisco NX-OS or is a Nexus 1000V virtual switchAffected if The system is any version of Cisco NX-OS or Nexus 1000V, as all versions are affected by this vulnerability
-
Verify VSM to vCenter communication is configuredCheck the Nexus 1000V configuration for vCenter server registration using 'show running-config | include vcenter' or review the VSM virtual appliance settingsAffected if The VSM is configured to communicate with a VMware vCenter server, as this creates the vulnerable SSL channel
-
Confirm SSL-based communication path existsReview the VSM-vCenter connection settings and verify that HTTPS or VMware SDK over SSL is enabled for the management communicationAffected if SSL/TLS is used for VSM-vCenter communication, which triggers the flawed X.509 certificate chain validation
-
Inspect SSL certificate validation behaviorCapture and analyze SSL handshake traffic between VSM and vCenter, or review NX-OS SSL configuration for any 'certificate validation' or 'verify' settings using 'show ssl' commands if availableAffected if Certificate chain validation is performed but accepts invalid or manipulated certificates due to the NX-OS flaw
A user is affected if they are running any version of Cisco NX-OS or Nexus 1000V with an active VSM-to-vCenter communication link using SSL/TLS, because the certificate chain validation flaw allows impersonation attacks.
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 dataApply the Cisco patch for NX-OS (contact Cisco for specific fixed version). Until patched, consider using network segmentation or out-of-band management to reduce MITM exposure on the VSM-vCenter path.
Fix this in Nx Os
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-1212 — 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-2013-1212 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
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.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data