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Firepower Extensible Operating SystemApplication · Cisco

CVE-2017-6598

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-04-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
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 debug plug-in functionality of the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Manager, Cisco Firepower 4100 Series Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), and Cisco Firepower 9300 Security Appliance could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands, aka Privilege Escalation. More Information: CSCvb86725 CSCvb86797. Known Affected Releases: 2.0(1.68) 3.1(1k)A. Known Fixed Releases: 92.2(1.105) 92.1(1.1733) 2.1(1.69).

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

This is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the debug plug-in functionality of Cisco UCS Manager and Firepower 4100/9300 series appliances. An authenticated local attacker can exploit insufficient validation in the debug plug-in to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges, bypassing normal authorization boundaries.

MitigationApply the appropriate fixed software release (92.2(1.105), 92.1(1.1733), or 2.1(1.69) depending on product version) to address the vulnerability. If patching is not immediately feasible, restrict local administrative access and monitor for unauthorized debug plug-in usage.

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
Firepower Extensible Operating SystemApplication
Affected:= 2.0\(1.68\)
Unified Computing SystemApplication
Affected:= 3.1\(1k\)a

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 checks

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

  1. Identify the product and version
    Access the device CLI and run the appropriate show version command (e.g., 'show version' or 'show inventory') to determine if the system is running Cisco Firepower Extensible Operating System or Cisco Unified Computing System, and record the exact software version shown.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.0(1.68) for Firepower Extensible Operating System or exactly 3.1(1k)a for Cisco Unified Computing System.
  2. Verify debug plug-in accessibility
    Check whether the debug plug-in functionality is accessible to local authenticated users by reviewing the user role assignments and privileges configured in the system.
    Affected if The debug plug-in is available to authenticated local users with standard administrative accounts.
  3. Review debug plug-in usage logs
    Examine system logs and audit trails for any debug plug-in invocations, specifically looking for command executions that originated from the debug feature.
    Affected if Log entries show debug plug-in was used to execute commands, especially commands running with elevated privileges beyond the user's normal authorization level.
  4. Check for unauthorized privilege escalation
    Compare user privilege levels in authentication logs against executed command history to identify instances where users executed commands with root or administrative-level privileges beyond their assigned role.
    Affected if Evidence exists of authenticated users executing commands with privileges higher than their assigned role, particularly through the debug interface.

A system is affected if it runs exactly version 2.0(1.68) of Cisco Firepower Extensible Operating System or exactly version 3.1(1k)a of Cisco Unified Computing System, and the debug plug-in feature is accessible to local authenticated users.

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 fixed software release (92.2(1.105), 92.1(1.1733), or 2.1(1.69) depending on product version) to address the vulnerability. If patching is not immediately feasible, restrict local administrative access and monitor for unauthorized debug plug-in usage.

Fix this in Firepower Extensible Operating System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,780
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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-2017-6598 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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