Unified Computing SystemApplication · Cisco
CVE-2017-12255
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco UCS Central Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain shell access. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of commands entered in the CLI, aka a Restricted Shell Break Vulnerability. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by entering a specific command with crafted arguments. An exploit could allow the attacker to gain shell access to the underlying system. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve70762.
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 · moderate confidenceA vulnerability in the Cisco UCS Central Software CLI allows an authenticated local attacker to escape the restricted shell and gain full shell access to the underlying system. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation of CLI commands, where specific commands with crafted arguments can bypass the restricted shell sandbox.
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
Unified Computing SystemApplication
= 1.5\(1c\)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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 Cisco UCS Central versionAccess the CLI and run the command to display the system version (typically 'show version' or similar UCS Central CLI command)Affected if version displayed is exactly 1.5(1c)
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Confirm product is Cisco UCS CentralVerify the system is running Cisco UCS Central Software, not another Cisco product, by checking the system prompt or version outputAffected if product is Cisco UCS Central and version is 1.5(1c)
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Check for local CLI accountsReview user accounts with local CLI access permissions in the UCS Central management interfaceAffected if local authenticated users exist with CLI access
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Audit for shell escape evidenceReview CLI command history or system logs for commands that attempt to bypass restricted shell restrictions or spawn unexpected shell sessions
A system is affected if it runs Cisco UCS Central version 1.5(1c) and has local CLI accounts with authenticated access, as the vulnerability allows escape from the restricted shell via specially crafted CLI command arguments.
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 bug CSCve70762 when released. Until then, restrict local CLI access to trusted administrators only and monitor for signs of unauthorized shell access.
Fix this in Unified Computing System
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $3,872.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-12255 — 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-2017-12255 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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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
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