Prime Data Center Network ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2020-3539
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 web-based management interface of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to view, modify, and delete data without proper authorization. The vulnerability is due to a failure to limit access to resources that are intended for users with Administrator privileges. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by convincing a user to click a malicious URL. A successful exploit could allow a low-privileged attacker to list, view, create, edit, and delete templates in the same manner as a user with Administrator privileges.Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
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 confidenceThis is an authorization bypass vulnerability in Cisco DCNM's web-based management interface where low-privileged users can perform Administrator-level operations (list, view, create, edit, delete templates) due to improper access control enforcement. The attacker exploits this by tricking an authenticated user into clicking a malicious URL.
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
Prime 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
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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 Cisco DCNM installation and versionLocate the DCNM installation directory or check the application version through the web interface (typically at /dcnm/fm/about.do or similar) or via command line if you have server accessAffected if The installed version is lower than 11.4(1)
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Confirm web-based management interface is enabledCheck if the DCNM web interface is accessible on the configured port (default 8443 for HTTPS or 8080 for HTTP)Affected if The web interface is exposed and reachable on the network
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Review audit logs for privilege escalation attemptsExamine DCNM server logs (typically in /opt/dcm/ logs or similar installation path) for entries showing Administrator-level operations performed by users with low-privilege rolesAffected if Logs show template operations (list, view, create, edit, delete) initiated by non-administrator users
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Check for unauthorized template modificationsReview the template repository or configuration database for unexpected or unauthorized changes to templates that were not performed by known administrator accountsAffected if Template changes exist that cannot be traced to legitimate administrator actions
You are affected if Cisco DCNM version is below 11.4(1) and the web-based management interface is accessible, allowing a potential attacker to exploit the authorization bypass via a malicious URL targeting authenticated users.
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 · scoped11.4
Apply the Cisco software updates that address this vulnerability; no workarounds are available.
Cisco Prime Data Center Network Manager 11.4(1) or later
- Identify the current installed version of Cisco Prime Data Center Network Manager
- Download Cisco Prime Data Center Network Manager version 11.4(1) or later from the Cisco Software Download center
- Review the installation and upgrade guide for DCNM 11.4(1) for platform-specific upgrade procedures
- Perform a full backup of the DCNM configuration and database before upgrading
- Follow the documented upgrade procedure to install version 11.4(1) or later
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version in the web-based management interface
- Confirm that the vulnerability is resolved by reviewing the release notes for the installed version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Prime Data Center Network Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $5,504.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-3539 — 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-2020-3539 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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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