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Nx OsOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2017-6649

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-05-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 7.1 through 7.3 running on Cisco Nexus Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform a command injection attack. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of command arguments. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by injecting crafted command arguments into a vulnerable CLI command. An exploit could allow the attacker to read or write arbitrary files at the user's privilege level outside of the user's path. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvb86787, CSCve60516, CSCve60555.

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 command injection vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco NX-OS System Software versions 7.1 through 7.3 running on Nexus Series Switches. An authenticated local attacker can inject crafted command arguments due to insufficient input validation, allowing them to read or write arbitrary files at the user's privilege level outside of the user's authorized path.

MitigationApply the Cisco-provided patch or upgrade to a fixed NX-OS version beyond 7.3. Until patched, limit local CLI access to trusted personnel only and monitor for unauthorized file access.

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:= 7.1\(1\)n1\(1\)= 7.1\(2\)n1\(1\)= 7.1\(3\)n1\(1\)= 7.1\(3\)n1\(2\)= 7.1\(3\)n1\(2.1\)= 7.1\(3\)n1\(3.12\)= 7.1\(4\)n1\(1\)= 7.2\(0\)d1\(0.437\)= 7.2\(0\)n1\(1\)= 7.2\(0\)zz\(99.1\)= 7.2\(1\)n1\(1\)= 7.3\(0\)n1\(1\)

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 NX-OS version
    Run 'show version' in the CLI to display the installed NX-OS software version
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 7.1(x), 7.2(x), or 7.3(0)n1(1) as listed in the affected versions
  2. Confirm the device is a Nexus Series Switch
    Run 'show version' and examine the hardware model field for Nexus platform identifiers such as Nexus 3000, Nexus 5000, Nexus 6000, or Nexus 7000 series
    Affected if The device is a Nexus Series Switch running one of the affected NX-OS versions
  3. Verify local CLI access exists
    Confirm you have authenticated local CLI access to the device (the vulnerability requires an authenticated local attacker)
    Affected if Local authenticated CLI access is available, which is required to exploit this vulnerability
  4. Check for unauthorized file access
    Review system logs and use 'show logging' to look for any anomalous file read or write operations outside expected user directories
    Affected if Evidence exists of unauthorized file access attempts or unusual file operations in the logs

The environment is affected if it consists of a Nexus Series Switch running NX-OS versions 7.1 through 7.3 with local authenticated CLI access available.

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 Cisco-provided patch or upgrade to a fixed NX-OS version beyond 7.3. Until patched, limit local CLI access to trusted personnel only and monitor for unauthorized file access.

Fix this in Nx Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2017-6649 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