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Nx OsOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2019-1615

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-03-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Image Signature Verification feature of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with administrator-level credentials to install a malicious software image on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper verification of digital signatures for software images. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by loading an unsigned software image on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to boot a malicious software image. Note: The fix for this vulnerability requires a BIOS upgrade as part of the software upgrade. For additional information, see the Details section of this advisory. Nexus 3000 Series Switches are affected running software versions prior to 7.0(3)I7(5). Nexus 9000 Series Fabric Switches in ACI Mode are affected running software versions prior to 13.2(1l). Nexus 9000 Series Switches in Standalone NX-OS Mode are affected running software versions prior to 7.0(3)I7(5). Nexus 9500 R-Series Line Cards and Fabric Modules are affected running software versions prior to 7.0(3)F3(5).

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

Image Signature Verification in Cisco NX-OS Software fails to properly verify digital signatures on software images, allowing an authenticated local attacker with administrator credentials to install and boot a malicious unsigned software image on affected Nexus switches. The vulnerability affects multiple Nexus product lines (3000 Series, 9000 Series in ACI and Standalone modes, 9500 R-Series) running specific older software versions.

MitigationUpgrade Cisco NX-OS Software to patched versions (7.0(3)I7(5), 13.2(1l), or 7.0(3)F3(5) depending on platform) and ensure the BIOS upgrade included with the software upgrade is applied.

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:= 7.0\(3\)i7\(3\)= 9.2\(1\)= 12.3\(0.97\)= 7.0\(3\)i7\(5\)

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check NX-OS version installed
    Execute 'show version' on the switch CLI and locate the 'NXOS' or 'system:' version line
    Affected if The displayed NX-OS version exactly matches 7.0(3)I7(3), 7.0(3)I7(5), 9.2(1), or 12.3(0.97)
  2. Identify the switch model
    Execute 'show version' and look for the 'cisco Nexus' model identifier (e.g., Nexus 3000, Nexus 9000, Nexus 9500 R-Series)
    Affected if The device is a Nexus 3000 Series, 9000 Series (ACI or Standalone mode), or 9500 R-Series switch running one of the vulnerable versions from step 1
  3. Verify image signature verification configuration
    Execute 'show boot' and review the boot variables; also check 'show running-config | include signature' or 'show system verification' if available
    Affected if Image signature verification is enabled (the vulnerability allows unsigned images to be booted despite verification being present)
  4. Confirm administrator access capability
    This is a local authenticated attack - determine if you have administrator/admin credentials to the switch
    Affected if The attacker would need administrator-level credentials to exploit this flaw, but for detection purposes, focus on version and model identification from steps 1-2

You are affected if your Nexus 3000/9000/9500 R-Series switch runs exactly version 7.0(3)I7(3), 7.0(3)I7(5), 9.2(1), or 12.3(0.97) with image signature verification feature present.

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

Upgrade Cisco NX-OS Software to patched versions (7.0(3)I7(5), 13.2(1l), or 7.0(3)F3(5) depending on platform) and ensure the BIOS upgrade included with the software upgrade is applied.

Fix this in Nx Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2019-1615 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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