Data Center Network ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2020-3383
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 archive utility of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct directory traversal attacks on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to a lack of proper input validation of paths that are embedded within archive files. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to write arbitrary files in the system with the privileges of the logged-in user.
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 confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability exists in the archive utility of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM). An authenticated remote attacker can craft archive files containing path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../') to write arbitrary files outside the intended directory to any location accessible to the logged-in user's privileges.
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
< 11.4\(1\)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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 if Cisco DCNM is installedLocate the DCNM installation directory or check system services for 'Cisco DCNM' or 'dcnm' processes running on the systemAffected if DCNM software is present on the system
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Check the installed DCNM versionAccess the DCNM web interface and navigate to the About or Help section, or run 'dcnm -v' or 'show version' from the DCNM command line if availableAffected if The version number is lower than 11.4(1) - for example 11.3(x), 11.2(x), 11.1(x), or any release prior to 11.4(1)
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Verify if the archive utility feature is accessibleLog into DCNM with valid credentials and check if the archive/backup utility or file upload functionality is available in the web interface or APIAffected if The archive utility feature is present and the authenticated user has access to create or upload archive files
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Confirm authentication access existsVerify that valid DCNM user credentials exist and can log into the system - the vulnerability requires an authenticated sessionAffected if A valid authenticated user session can be established with DCNM, especially one with privileges to use the archive utility
The environment is affected if Cisco DCNM version is below 11.4(1) AND the archive utility feature is accessible to an authenticated user, allowing them to upload files with path traversal sequences.
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 data11.4
Apply the Cisco security patch for CVE-2020-3383 or upgrade DCNM to a fixed version. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to DCNM management interfaces and disable the archive utility feature until the fix can be deployed.
Fix this in Data Center Network Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $4,304.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-3383 — 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-2020-3383 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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