Data Center Network ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2019-15979
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 · uneditedMultiple vulnerabilities in the REST and SOAP API endpoints of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with administrative privileges on the DCNM application to inject arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system (OS). For more information about these vulnerabilities, see the Details section of this advisory. Note: The severity of these vulnerabilities is aggravated by the vulnerabilities described in the Cisco Data Center Network Manager Authentication Bypass Vulnerabilities advisory, published simultaneously with this one.
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 confidenceMultiple vulnerabilities in the REST and SOAP API endpoints of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) allow an authenticated attacker with administrative privileges to inject arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system. The attack vector is remote, requiring network access to the DCNM application API.
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
Data Center Network ManagerApplication
< 11.3\(1\)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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Cisco DCNM installationLocate DCNM by checking for the application process or service named 'Cisco Data Center Network Manager' or 'dcnm' on the system. On Windows, check Services; on Linux, check running processes or installed packages.Affected if DCNM software is found running or installed on the system
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Determine installed DCNM versionAccess the DCNM web interface and navigate to Administration > System Settings > About, or check the installed version via the DCNM installer/binary. Compare the version number to 11.3(1).Affected if The installed version is lower than 11.3(1)
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Verify REST or SOAP API is enabledCheck DCNM configuration files (typically in the DCNM installation directory) or web interface settings for REST API and SOAP API endpoint configurations. Look for entries enabling 'REST' or 'SOAP' services.Affected if REST API, SOAP API, or both endpoints are enabled in the DCNM configuration
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Confirm network accessibility to API endpointsTest connectivity to DCNM management ports (default 443 for HTTPS) from external network locations. Review firewall rules and network ACLs allowing access to the DCNM management interface.Affected if The DCNM management interface/API ports are reachable from network segments outside the trusted administrative network
The environment is affected if Cisco DCNM is installed with a version lower than 11.3(1) and the REST or SOAP API is network-accessible, regardless of account status.
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.
From vendor data11.3
Apply Cisco-provided patches or upgrade to a fixed version of DCNM. Additionally, restrict network access to DCNM management interfaces and follow least-privilege principles for administrative accounts to reduce exposure, especially given the related authentication bypass vulnerabilities.
Fix this in Data Center Network Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-15979 — 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-2019-15979 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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