dbcve.org
Ios XeOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2019-1950

HIGH · 8.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-02-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 16.11 or later.
See remediation →
89/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges 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 IOS XE SD-WAN Software could allow an unauthenticated, local attacker to gain unauthorized access to an affected device. The vulnerability is due to the existence of default credentials within the default configuration of an affected device. An attacker who has access to an affected device could log in with elevated privileges. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to take complete control of the device. This vulnerability affects Cisco devices that are running Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software releases 16.11 and earlier.

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 vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software (releases 16.11 and earlier) stems from hardcoded default credentials present in the factory default configuration. A local attacker who can access the affected device can authenticate with these default credentials to gain elevated privileges and achieve full administrative control over the device.

MitigationImmediately change all default credentials on affected devices and update to a Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software release later than 16.11. Restrict physical and local network access to SD-WAN devices as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
Ios XeOperating system
Affected:<= 16.11

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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 IOS XE SD-WAN version
    Execute the command to display the running IOS XE version (for example, 'show version' or similar IOS XE command). Compare the version number to the affected range: 16.11 and earlier.
    Affected if The displayed version is 16.11 or any earlier release.
  2. Confirm SD-WAN software is installed
    Verify that the Cisco SD-WAN software feature set is running on the device. This may be confirmed via the 'show version' output or a similar command showing the software image type.
    Affected if The device is running Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software.
  3. Inspect factory default configuration for credentials
    Review the startup configuration or running configuration for hardcoded credentials that appear to be factory defaults. Look for accounts or passwords that were not created by the administrator.
    Affected if Default credentials from the factory default configuration are still present and active on the device.
  4. Assess local access exposure
    Evaluate whether an attacker could gain physical access or local network access to the device. Check for accessible console ports, VTY lines, or local network segments that reach the device.
    Affected if The device can be accessed locally by an unauthenticated attacker.

The device is affected if it runs Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software version 16.11 or earlier AND the hardcoded default credentials from the factory configuration remain in use AND the attacker can reach the device locally.

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 a release after 16.11
Interim mitigation

Immediately change all default credentials on affected devices and update to a Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software release later than 16.11. Restrict physical and local network access to SD-WAN devices as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Ios Xe Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-1950 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2019-1950 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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