Application Policy Infrastructure ControllerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2017-12352
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 certain system script files that are installed at boot time on Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controllers could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain elevated privileges and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on an affected host operating system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-controlled input that is supplied to certain script files of an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting crafted input to a script file on an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain elevated privileges and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the affected system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to authenticate to the affected system by using valid administrator credentials. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf57274.
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 local privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controllers (APIC). An authenticated attacker with valid administrator credentials can submit crafted input to certain system script files that run at boot time, bypassing insufficient input validation to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.
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
Application Policy Infrastructure ControllerApplication
= 2.3\(1f\)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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Check Cisco APIC versionLog into the APIC CLI or APIC GUI and navigate to the system settings or use the 'show version' command in the CLI to determine the installed firmware version.Affected if The installed version equals 2.3(1f)
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Verify administrator account integrityReview the list of administrator accounts in the APIC under Admin > AAA > Users. Look for any unauthorized or unexpected administrator accounts that may have been created.Affected if Unexpected administrator accounts exist or credentials may be compromised
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Inspect system boot scripts for modificationsExamine system script files in /etc/init.d/, /etc/rc.d/, or similar boot-time script directories for any unexpected modifications, unexpected commands, or suspicious input validation issues.Affected if Boot scripts contain unexpected commands, suspicious input handling, or have been modified from their original state
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Review system logs for privilege escalation indicatorsCheck system logs, particularly auth.log, syslog, or APIC-specific logs for entries indicating execution of unexpected commands by administrator accounts or attempts to modify system scripts.Affected if Logs show execution of arbitrary commands with root privileges or unauthorized script modifications
The environment is affected if the Cisco APIC version is 2.3(1f) and either unauthorized administrator access has occurred or system boot scripts show signs of tampering or unexpected command execution.
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 ID CSCvf57274 to fix the input validation in the affected system script files. Since this requires administrator authentication, ensure admin accounts are secured and monitor for unauthorized access.
Fix this in Application Policy Infrastructure Controller
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,504.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-12352 — 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-2017-12352 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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