Intersight Private Virtual ApplianceApplication · Cisco
CVE-2023-20017
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 · uneditedMultiple vulnerabilities in Cisco Intersight Private Virtual Appliance could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands using root-level privileges. The attacker would need to have Administrator privileges on the affected device to exploit these vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities are due to insufficient input validation when extracting uploaded software packages. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by authenticating to an affected device and uploading a crafted software package. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands on the underlying operating system with root-level privileges.
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 confidenceThe vulnerability lies in the software package extraction functionality of Cisco Intersight Private Virtual Appliance, where insufficient input validation allows an authenticated administrator to upload a crafted software package that can contain path traversal or command injection payloads. This enables arbitrary command execution with root privileges on the underlying operating system.
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
Intersight Private Virtual ApplianceApplication
= 1.0.9CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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 the installed product versionLocate the Cisco Intersight Private Virtual Appliance version in the system management interface or via command line tools that display appliance version information. Common locations include the administrative web UI under System Settings or About pages, or CLI commands such as 'show version' or 'intersight version'.Affected if The version is exactly 1.0.9
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Confirm the software package upload feature is enabledCheck if the software package upload functionality is accessible in the Intersight Private Virtual Appliance administrative interface. This is typically found under Software Repository, Software Management, or Package Upload sections in the web UI or corresponding CLI show commands.Affected if The software package upload feature is available and accessible to administrators
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Verify administrator account accessReview the list of configured administrator accounts in the appliance. This can be done through the administrative UI under User Management or Administration > Users, or via CLI commands that list local or connected directory users with administrator privileges.Affected if At least one administrator account exists with privileges to upload software packages
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Audit recent software package uploadsExamine system logs, software repository logs, or audit trails for any software package uploads. Look for upload events in the Intersight logs, particularly packages uploaded around the time the vulnerability became public or suspicious timestamps.Affected if Any software packages have been uploaded to the appliance, especially if the source or integrity cannot be verified
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Check for unexpected system changesReview system for new files, scripts, or modifications in system directories outside normal appliance operations. Check for unexpected processes running as root or connections to unknown remote hosts.Affected if Unexplained files, processes, or network connections are found on the appliance
The environment is affected if running Cisco Intersight Private Virtual Appliance version 1.0.9 with administrator-accessible software package upload functionality, and especially if packages have been uploaded by administrators.
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 · scopedApply the vendor-supplied patch for CVE-2023-20017. Until patched, strictly limit Administrator access and monitor for anomalous software package uploads.
Intersight Private Virtual Appliance version 1.0.10 or later (contact Cisco for exact fixed release)
- 1. Log in to the Intersight Private Virtual Appliance management interface as Administrator
- 2. Navigate to the System firmware or Software Updates section
- 3. Check the current installed version to confirm it is 1.0.9
- 4. Download the latest Cisco Intersight Private Virtual Appliance software update from the Cisco Software Download center (requires valid Cisco service contract)
- 5. Upload the software update bundle to the appliance
- 6. Follow the on-screen prompts to apply the update
- 7. After reboot, verify the new version is installed and the appliance is functioning normally
- 8. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by reviewing the system diagnostics
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Intersight Private Virtual Appliance
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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 $3,392.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20017 — 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-2023-20017 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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- 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
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