Prime Data Center Network ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2017-6640
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 Cisco Prime Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log in to the administrative console of a DCNM server by using an account that has a default, static password. The account could be granted root- or system-level privileges. The vulnerability exists because the affected software has a default user account that has a default, static password. The user account is created automatically when the software is installed. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting remotely to an affected system and logging in to the affected software by using the credentials for this default user account. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to use this default user account to log in to the affected software and gain access to the administrative console of a DCNM server. This vulnerability affects Cisco Prime Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) Software releases prior to Release 10.2(1) for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Virtual Appliance platforms. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd95346.
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 Prime Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) contains a default static user account created automatically during software installation. This account has root or system-level privileges and can be exploited by an unauthenticated remote attacker to gain administrative access to the DCNM server by using the known default credentials.
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
Prime Data Center Network ManagerApplication
= 10.1\(1\)= 10.1\(2\)= 10.1.0CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 the installed DCNM versionUse the system's package manager, software inventory, or DCNM's built-in version reporting mechanism to retrieve the exact version number of Cisco Prime Data Center Network ManagerAffected if The installed version is 10.1(1), 10.1(2), or 10.1.0
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Locate user accounts created during DCNM installationExamine the operating system user database or DCNM's internal user management system for accounts that were created automatically by the software installation processAffected if A default static user account exists that was not manually created by an administrator after installation
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Verify the default account has elevated privilegesCheck the permissions, group memberships, or role assignments associated with the default account to determine if it possesses root or system-level administrative access to DCNMAffected if The default account has root or system-level privileges within the DCNM application
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Confirm the default account is enabled and accessibleReview the account status in the user management interface, authentication configuration, or operating system user settings to determine if the account is active and can accept login attemptsAffected if The default account is enabled and accessible for remote or local authentication
A user is affected if they are running Cisco Prime DCNM versions 10.1(1), 10.1(2), or 10.1.0 and the default static user account created during installation remains enabled with root or system-level privileges.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to Cisco Prime DCNM Release 10.2(1) or later for all platforms (Windows, Linux, Virtual Appliance). Alternatively, locate and disable the default account, or change its password to a strong, unique value if the account is required for operations.
Release 10.2(1) or later
- 1. Identify the current version of Cisco Prime DCNM installed (10.1(1), 10.1(2), or 10.1.0)
- 2. Review Cisco DCNM upgrade documentation and release notes for version 10.2(1)
- 3. Create a full backup of the current DCNM configuration and data
- 4. Download Cisco Prime DCNM version 10.2(1) or later from Cisco's official download portal
- 5. Follow Cisco's documented upgrade procedure for your platform (Windows, Linux, or Virtual Appliance)
- 6. After successful upgrade, verify the default account vulnerability is resolved
- 7. Change or disable the default user account if it still exists post-upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Prime Data Center Network Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-6640 — 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-2017-6640 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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