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Nx OsOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2015-6277

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-09-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
66/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The ARP implementation in Cisco NX-OS on Nexus 1000V devices for VMware vSphere 5.2(1)SV3(1.4), Nexus 3000 devices 7.3(0)ZD(0.47), Nexus 4000 devices 4.1(2)E1, Nexus 9000 devices 7.3(0)ZD(0.61), and MDS 9000 devices 7.0(0)HSK(0.353) and SAN-OS NX-OS on MDS 9000 devices 7.0(0)HSK(0.353) allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (ARP process restart) via crafted packet-header fields, aka Bug ID CSCut25292.

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 confidence

A denial of service vulnerability exists in the ARP implementation of Cisco NX-OS on Nexus 1000V, 3000, 4000, 9000 series switches and MDS 9000 storage arrays. Remote attackers can send specially crafted packets with manipulated header fields to trigger an ARP process restart, causing service disruption.

MitigationApply the Cisco-provided software update/patch for NX-OS addressing CSCut25292. As an interim measure, restrict network access to trusted segments and implement ACLs to filter suspicious ARP traffic.

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
Affected:= 7.3\(0\)zd\(0.47\)= 4.1\(2\)e1= 7.0\(0\)hsk\(0.353\)= 7.3\(0\)zd\(0.61\)
San OsOperating system
Affected:= 7.0\(0\)hsk\(0.353\)
Mds 9000Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
1000vApplication
Affected:= 5.2\(1\)sv3\(1.4\)

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.

From the vector
Attack vector
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Complete

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

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

  1. Identify device model and software version
    Run 'show version' or 'show module' on the Cisco device CLI to obtain the exact model number (e.g., Nexus 1000V, 3000, 4000, 9000, MDS 9000) and the installed NX-OS or SAN-OS version string.
    Affected if The device model matches Nexus 1000V, 3000, 4000, 9000, or MDS 9000 series.
  2. Compare installed version against affected NX-OS releases
    Match the installed NX-OS version to the affected list: 7.3(0)zd(0.47), 4.1(2)e1, 7.0(0)hsk(0.353), or 7.3(0)zd(0.61). Use 'show version' output to compare exact version strings.
    Affected if The installed NX-OS version exactly matches one of the four listed vulnerable versions.
  3. Confirm MDS 9000 series vulnerability
    If the device is an MDS 9000 storage array, verify the SAN-OS version using 'show version'. Note that all SAN-OS versions on MDS 9000 are affected per the CVE.
    Affected if The device is an MDS 9000 series and runs any SAN-OS version.
  4. Verify Cisco 1000v vulnerable release
    For Nexus 1000V virtual switches, check the installed version with 'show version' and confirm it equals 5.2(1)sv3(1.4).
    Affected if The device is a Nexus 1000V running exactly version 5.2(1)sv3(1.4).

The environment is affected if the device runs NX-OS/SAN-OS versions exactly matching 7.3(0)zd(0.47), 4.1(2)e1, 7.0(0)hsk(0.353), 7.3(0)zd(0.61), or 5.2(1)sv3(1.4), or if it is any MDS 9000 series storage array.

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

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Cisco-provided software update/patch for NX-OS addressing CSCut25292. As an interim measure, restrict network access to trusted segments and implement ACLs to filter suspicious ARP traffic.

Fix this in Nx Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-6277 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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