Data Center Network ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2019-15981
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 and the Application Framework feature of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct directory traversal attacks on an affected device. To exploit these vulnerabilities, an attacker would need administrative privileges on the DCNM application. 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 · moderate confidenceMultiple directory traversal vulnerabilities exist in Cisco DCNM's REST and SOAP API endpoints and Application Framework feature, allowing an authenticated attacker with administrative privileges to access unauthorized files and directories outside the web root folder through path traversal sequences in API requests.
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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Confirm Cisco DCNM is installedIdentify whether Cisco Data Center Network Manager software is present in your environment by checking for the DCNM service or installation directoryAffected if DCNM software is found and running
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Check DCNM versionLocate the installed DCNM version through the web interface (typically in About or System Info), CLI (show version), or installation files, then compare against 11.3(1)Affected if Installed version is lower than 11.3(1)
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Verify REST or SOAP API endpoints are enabledAccess DCNM administration interface and check whether REST API or SOAP API endpoints are configured and accessible (typically under Administration > Settings or similar configuration sections)Affected if REST API or SOAP API endpoints are enabled and accessible
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Confirm Application Framework feature is activeCheck DCNM configuration for Application Framework feature status, which may be listed under system settings, plugins, or framework optionsAffected if Application Framework feature is enabled
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Review API request logs for path traversal patternsExamine DCNM logs, API access logs, or traffic captures for suspicious patterns containing ../ sequences in API request parametersAffected if Logs or traffic show path traversal sequences (../) in API requests
Environment is affected if Cisco DCNM is installed with version lower than 11.3(1) and has REST API, SOAP API, or Application Framework enabled, allowing authenticated administrators to potentially exploit path traversal via API endpoints.
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's available patches for DCNM; if patches are unavailable, restrict administrative access to trusted networks and monitor API traffic for path traversal patterns (e.g., ../ sequences).
Fix this in Data Center Network Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-15981 — 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-2019-15981 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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