Nx OsOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2013-3400
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 license-installation module in Cisco NX-OS on Nexus 1000V devices allows local users to execute arbitrary commands via crafted "install license" arguments, aka Bug ID CSCuh30824.
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 confidenceThis is a command injection vulnerability in the license-installation module of Cisco NX-OS on Nexus 1000V virtual switches. Local authenticated users can execute arbitrary operating system commands by providing crafted arguments to the 'install license' feature, allowing privilege escalation from standard user to root/administrator level.
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
- 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 the NX-OS versionExecute 'show version' on the device CLI to retrieve the installed NX-OS versionAffected if The device runs any version of Cisco NX-OS or Cisco Nexus 1000V
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Determine if license installation feature is accessibleUse 'show role' or 'show user account' commands to review user roles and privileges, specifically checking if standard users have access to the 'install license' commandAffected if Non-administrator users have roles that permit access to the license installation functionality
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Review system logs for license operationsExecute 'show logging | include license' or check the system message log for any 'install license' commands, looking for unexpected or unauthorized license installation eventsAffected if Any license installation commands have been executed, especially from standard user accounts
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Check for unauthorized shell accessReview 'show process history' or 'show system internal syslog' for signs of command injection or unexpected command execution following license operationsAffected if Unexpected command execution or shell access is observed in logs after license operations
The environment is affected if the system runs Cisco NX-OS or Nexus 1000V and any local authenticated users have access to the 'install license' feature.
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 relevant Cisco NX-OS patch for Bug ID CSCuh30824 when available, or upgrade to a fixed NX-OS version. Until patched, restrict local user access to the license installation functionality and monitor for suspicious license operations.
Fix this in Nx Os
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $4,544.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-3400 — 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-2013-3400 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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- 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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