CVE-2020-15388
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the Brocade Fabric OS before Brocade Fabric OS v9.0.1a, v8.2.3, v8.2.0_CBN4, and v7.4.2h could allow an authenticated CLI user to abuse the history command to write arbitrary content to files.
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 confidenceBrocade Fabric OS contains a vulnerability allowing authenticated CLI users to abuse the history command to write arbitrary content to files. This could enable privilege escalation or system compromise by an authenticated user modifying sensitive files.
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< 7.4.2h>= 9.0.0, < 9.0.1a= 8.2.0= 8.2.0a= 8.2.3CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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.
-
Identify Fabric OS versionLog into the Brocade Fabric OS CLI and run the command: version or firmwareShowAffected if The version output shows a version number that falls within these affected ranges: < 7.4.2h, 9.0.0 through 9.0.1a (excluding 9.0.1a), 8.2.0, 8.2.0a, or 8.2.3
-
Confirm CLI user accessVerify that you have authenticated CLI access to the Fabric OS device. The vulnerability requires an authenticated user session.Affected if You can log in as any CLI user (including read-only or standard users) on the device
-
Check history command behaviorIn the CLI, run the history command and attempt to use its write functionality if available. The vulnerability allows abuse of the history command to write arbitrary content to files.Affected if The history command exists and can be used to write or append to files outside its intended scope
Your environment is affected if the Fabric OS version is one of the vulnerable versions listed AND you have authenticated CLI user access, as the vulnerability can be exploited by any authenticated CLI user.
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.
dbcve · scoped7.4.2h9.0.1a
Upgrade Brocade Fabric OS to v9.0.1a, v8.2.3, v8.2.0_CBN4, v7.4.2h or later to remediate the vulnerability.
v9.0.1a (for 9.x), v8.2.3 or v8.2.0_CBN4 (for 8.2.x), v7.4.2h (for 7.x)
- 1. Identify the current Fabric OS version by running 'firmwareshow' or checking the switch startup screen
- 2. If version is < 7.4.2h, upgrade to v7.4.2h
- 3. If version is 8.2.0 or 8.2.0a, upgrade to v8.2.3 or v8.2.0_CBN4
- 4. If version is >= 9.0.0 and < 9.0.1a, upgrade to v9.0.1a
- 5. Download the firmware from Broadcom's support portal (www.broadcom.com)
- 6. Upload the firmware to the switch using 'firmwaredownload' command
- 7. Verify the upgrade was successful and the version matches the fixed release
- 8. Restrict CLI access to trusted administrators only as a compensating control
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,968.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-15388 — 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-2020-15388 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
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.
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.
- 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