CVE-2015-6398
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 Nexus 9000 Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) Mode switches with software before 11.0(1c) allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via an IPv4 ICMP packet with the IP Record Route option, aka Bug ID CSCuq57512.
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 Nexus 9000 Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) Mode switches running software versions before 11.0(1c) are vulnerable to a denial of service flaw. A remote attacker can cause the device to reload by sending specifically crafted IPv4 ICMP packets containing the IP Record Route option.
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< 2.50\(aazi.0\)c0CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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 device modelCheck if the device is a Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switch running in Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) mode. Use 'show version' or 'show module' commands to confirm the hardware model and mode.Affected if The device is NOT a Cisco Nexus 9000 ACI mode switch (if it is a different product, this CVE does not apply)
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Check the software versionExecute 'show version' on the Nexus 9000 device and locate the firmware/software version number. Compare it against the affected range of versions before 11.0(1c).Affected if The installed software version is earlier than 11.0(1c)
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Confirm ICMP processing is enabledVerify that IPv4 ICMP processing is enabled on the device interfaces using 'show ip interface' or similar interface configuration checks. The vulnerability is triggered specifically by ICMP packets with the IP Record Route option.Affected if IPv4 ICMP is enabled and the device processes incoming ICMP traffic (this is typically enabled by default)
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Check for ACLs or firewall rules blocking ICMPReview any access-control lists or traffic filtering applied to the device that might block or filter incoming ICMP packets. Use 'show access-lists' or similar commands.Affected if There are NO filtering rules blocking specifically crafted ICMP packets with the IP Record Route option reaching the device (default configurations typically allow ICMP)
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Identify exposed network interfacesDetermine which interfaces are reachable from untrusted networks and can receive IPv4 ICMP packets. Check the device management and data plane interface configurations.Affected if The device has interfaces directly exposed to networks from which a remote attacker can send IPv4 ICMP packets
The device is affected if it is a Cisco Nexus 9000 running ACI mode with software version earlier than 11.0(1c) and has IPv4 ICMP processing enabled on accessible interfaces.
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 data2.50
Upgrade Cisco Nexus 9000 ACI switches to software version 11.0(1c) or later to remediate this vulnerability.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $3,488.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-6398 — 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-2015-6398 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
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