Data Center Network ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2021-1283
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 logging subsystem of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an authenticated, local attacker to view sensitive information in a system log file that should be restricted. The vulnerability exists because sensitive information is not properly masked before it is written to system log files. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to an affected device and inspecting a specific system log file. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to view sensitive information in the system log file. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have valid user credentials.
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 confidenceCisco DCNM's logging subsystem writes sensitive information (likely credentials, tokens, or authentication data) to system log files in plaintext rather than masking or redacting it. An authenticated attacker with local access can read these log files to retrieve sensitive data that should be protected.
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
< 11.5\(1\)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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 Cisco DCNM installationLocate the Cisco DCNM installation on the system. Common installation paths may include /opt/dcnm, /usr/local/cisco/dcnm, or check for the dcnm service/process running.Affected if Cisco Data Center Network Manager is installed and running
-
Determine installed DCNM versionRun the command to check the DCNM version, typically via 'dcnm-server -version' or check the installation manifest/package information. Compare the version number to the affected range of versions < 11.5(1).Affected if Installed version is lower than 11.5(1)
-
Locate DCNM log filesFind the log directory used by DCNM. Common locations may include /var/log/dcnm, /opt/dcnm/logs, or the logs directory within the DCNM installation path.Affected if Log files exist in DCNM's logging directory
-
Inspect logs for plaintext sensitive dataExamine the log files for plaintext occurrences of sensitive fields such as passwords, tokens, authentication keys, or credentials. Use grep or similar tools to search for patterns like 'password=', 'token=', 'key=', or credentials in cleartext.Affected if Log files contain plaintext sensitive information such as passwords, tokens, or authentication data that should have been masked or redacted
The environment is affected if Cisco DCNM is installed with a version lower than 11.5(1) AND the log files contain plaintext sensitive credentials, tokens, or authentication data.
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 data11.5
Implement proper masking/filtering in the logging subsystem to redact sensitive fields (passwords, tokens, keys) before writing to logs. Apply to all log statements and logging paths.
Fix this in Data Center Network Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1283 — 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-2021-1283 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