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Telepresence CodecApplication · Cisco

CVE-2019-15288

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-11-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.3.19 / 9.8.1 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 TelePresence Collaboration Endpoint (CE), Cisco TelePresence Codec (TC), and Cisco RoomOS Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to escalate privileges to an unrestricted user of the restricted shell. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by including specific arguments when opening an SSH connection to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain unrestricted user access to the restricted shell of an affected device.

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 CLI of Cisco TelePresence Collaboration Endpoint (CE), TelePresence Codec (TC), and RoomOS software. An authenticated remote attacker can exploit insufficient input validation by passing specific arguments during SSH connection establishment, allowing them to escape the restricted shell and gain unrestricted user access.

MitigationApply the Cisco security updates/patches for this vulnerability to all affected TelePresence devices. Restrict SSH access to trusted personnel and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.

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
Telepresence CodecApplication
Affected:< 7.3.19
Telepresence Collaboration EndpointApplication
Affected:< 9.8.1
RoomosOperating system
Affected:< 2019-09-drop1

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 Cisco TelePresence product and firmware version
    Access the CLI via console or SSH and run the command 'show version' or check the device admin interface for the firmware version information
    Affected if The product is Cisco Telepresence Codec < 7.3.19, TelePresence Collaboration Endpoint < 9.8.1, or RoomOS < 2019-09-drop1
  2. Confirm SSH access is enabled on the device
    Run the command 'show ssh' or check the device configuration for 'ssh' settings under the CLI configuration mode
    Affected if SSH is enabled and the device version is in the affected range listed above
  3. Verify the device is using the restricted shell
    After logging in via SSH, observe whether you are placed in a restricted shell (limited command set) versus a full shell. Run '?' or 'help' to see available commands
    Affected if The device presents a restricted shell on SSH login and the firmware version is unpatched
  4. Check for unauthorized privileged accounts
    Run 'show user' or 'show account' in CLI to list all configured users and their privilege levels
    Affected if Unexpected accounts with elevated privileges exist, suggesting possible exploitation
  5. Review recent authentication logs for anomalies
    Run 'show log' or 'show logging' to examine recent authentication events, specifically looking for SSH connections that may have included unusual arguments or escape sequences
    Affected if Logs show SSH connections with abnormal parameters or successful logins from unexpected sources

The device is affected if it runs Telepresence Codec < 7.3.19, Collaboration Endpoint < 9.8.1, or RoomOS < 2019-09-drop1 AND has SSH access enabled.

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 7.3.19 / 9.8.1 / 2019-09-drop1 or later
Fixed in 7.3.199.8.12019-09-drop1
Interim mitigation

Apply the Cisco security updates/patches for this vulnerability to all affected TelePresence devices. Restrict SSH access to trusted personnel and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.

Fix this in Telepresence Codec Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,690
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,304.

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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-2019-15288 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