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JabberApplication · Cisco

CVE-2019-12645

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-09-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.6 or later.
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 Cisco Jabber Client Framework (JCF) for Mac Software, installed as part of the Cisco Jabber for Mac client, could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary code on an affected device The vulnerability is due to improper file level permissions on an affected device when it is running Cisco JCF for Mac Software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the affected device and executing arbitrary code or potentially modifying certain configuration files. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code or modify certain configuration files on the device using the privileges of the installed Cisco JCF for Mac Software.

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 local privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco Jabber Client Framework for Mac where improper file-level permissions allow an authenticated local attacker to execute arbitrary code or modify configuration files by leveraging the elevated privileges of the JCF software. The attacker needs local access to the device but does not require administrator credentials initially.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patch or fix file permissions on the Cisco JCF for Mac installation to restrict write access to configuration files and executables, ensuring the application runs with least-privilege principles.

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
JabberApplication
Affected:< 12.6\(1\)

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:3.1/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. Confirm Cisco Jabber is installed
    Check for Cisco Jabber.app in /Applications folder using Finder or command: ls /Applications/ | grep -i jabber
    Affected if Cisco Jabber.app is present in /Applications
  2. Determine installed version
    Run: defaults read /Applications/Cisco\ Jabber.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString or right-click app > Get Info to view Version
    Affected if Version number is lower than 12.6(1)
  3. Locate Cisco JCF framework directory
    Navigate to the Cisco Jabber application bundle contents and identify the Jabber Client Framework directory, typically found under Contents/Frameworks/
    Affected if JCF framework directory exists within the application bundle
  4. Check file permissions on JCF executables
    Run: ls -la /Applications/Cisco\ Jabber.app/Contents/Frameworks/ to list permissions on framework files and directories
    Affected if Any executable or framework file shows write permissions for group or other (such as -rwxr-xr-x or worse)
  5. Check file permissions on configuration files
    Run: ls -la /Applications/Cisco\ Jabber.app/Contents/Frameworks/*.framework/Resources/ or identify configuration files within the JCF framework and check their permissions
    Affected if Configuration files show write permissions for group or other, allowing modification by non-admin users

You are affected if Cisco Jabber is installed with a version lower than 12.6(1) and the JCF framework files or configuration files have overly permissive write access for standard 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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 12.6 or later
Fixed in 12.6
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patch or fix file permissions on the Cisco JCF for Mac installation to restrict write access to configuration files and executables, ensuring the application runs with least-privilege principles.

Fix this in Jabber Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.

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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-2019-12645 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