dbcve.org
Nx OsOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2017-12338

MEDIUM · 6.0 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-11-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco NX-OS System Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to read the contents of arbitrary files. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation for a specific CLI command. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by issuing a crafted command on the CLI. An exploit could allow the attacker unauthorized access to read arbitrary files on the underlying local file system. On products that support multiple virtual device contexts (VDCs), this vulnerability could allow an attacker to read files from any VDC. This vulnerability affects the following products running Cisco NX-OS System Software: Multilayer Director Switches, Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders, Nexus 3000 Series Switches, Nexus 5000 Series Switches, Nexus 5500 Platform Switches, Nexus 5600 Platform Switches, Nexus 6000 Series Switches, Nexus 7000 Series Switches, Nexus 7700 Series Switches, Nexus 9000 Series Fabric Switches in Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) mode, Nexus 9000 Series Switches in standalone NX-OS mode, Nexus 9500 R-Series Line Cards and Fabric Modules, Unified Computing System Manager. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve51707, CSCve93961, CSCve93964, CSCve93965, CSCve93968, CSCve93974, CSCve93976.

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 vulnerability in the Cisco NX-OS CLI allows an authenticated local attacker to read arbitrary files on the underlying file system due to insufficient input validation for a specific CLI command. On products supporting multiple virtual device contexts (VDCs), the attacker can read files from any VDC.

MitigationApply the appropriate Cisco patch for this vulnerability (refer to Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve51707, CSCve93961, CSCve93964, CSCve93965, CSCve93968, CSCve93974, CSCve93976). If patches are unavailable, strictly limit CLI access to trusted administrative personnel and implement monitoring for suspicious file access patterns.

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:= 8.0\(1\)= 8.1\(0\)bd\(0.20\)= 8.1\(1\)
Unified Computing SystemApplication
Affected:= 7.0\(0\)hsk\(0.357\)
Lan Switch SoftwareOperating system
Affected:= 12.2\(1.107\)

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the product and version
    Execute 'show version' on the device CLI to retrieve the installed software version
    Affected if The displayed version matches one of the affected versions: 8.0(1), 8.1(0)bd(0.20), 8.1(1) for Cisco NX-OS; 7.0(0)hsk(0.357) for Cisco UCS; 12.2(1.107) for Cisco Lan Switch Software
  2. Check if the device supports Virtual Device Contexts (VDCs)
    Execute 'show vdc' or 'show vdc detail' to list configured VDCs
    Affected if VDCs are present and the attacker could potentially access files from any VDC context
  3. Verify CLI authentication and access controls
    Review 'show user' and 'show running-config | include user' to list accounts with CLI access
    Affected if Multiple users or untrusted accounts have authenticated CLI access, providing a potential attack vector
  4. Audit recent CLI file access commands
    Review device logs and use 'show logging' to look for suspicious or anomalous file read operations
    Affected if Logs show unusual file access patterns or reads from unexpected directories via CLI

A user is affected if the installed product version matches the listed affected versions AND the attacker has authenticated CLI access to the device.

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 appropriate Cisco patch for this vulnerability (refer to Cisco Bug IDs: CSCve51707, CSCve93961, CSCve93964, CSCve93965, CSCve93968, CSCve93974, CSCve93976). If patches are unavailable, strictly limit CLI access to trusted administrative personnel and implement monitoring for suspicious file access patterns.

Fix this in Nx Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
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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-2017-12338 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