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Evolved Programmable Network ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2023-20260

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.10.4 / 7.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
A vulnerability in the application CLI of Cisco Prime Infrastructure and Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain escalated privileges. This vulnerability is due to improper processing of command line arguments to application scripts. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by issuing a command on the CLI with malicious options. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain the escalated privileges of the root user on the underlying operating system.

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 · moderate confidence

Local privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco Prime Infrastructure and Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager CLI. An authenticated attacker can exploit improper command line argument processing in application scripts to gain root OS privileges.

MitigationApply Cisco vendor patches when available. Restrict CLI access to trusted administrators only and monitor for anomalous command execution.

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
Evolved Programmable Network ManagerApplication
Affected:< 7.1.1
Prime InfrastructureApplication
Affected:< 3.10.4= 3.10.4

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Cisco product
    Run command: show version or check /opt/CSCOlumos/bin/ or /opt/infra/ directories for Cisco Prime Infrastructure or EPN Manager installations. Look for product-specific files or running processes.
    Affected if Neither Cisco Prime Infrastructure nor Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager is installed.
  2. Determine installed version of Cisco Prime Infrastructure
    Check the version file typically located at /opt/infra/build.info or run: /opt/infra/bin/showVersion.pl. Alternatively, check the web UI version at Help > About.
    Affected if Version is less than 3.10.4, or version equals 3.10.4.
  3. Determine installed version of Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager
    Check the version via CLI command: show version or view /opt/CSCOlumos/build.info. Access EPN Manager web UI and check the version in About section.
    Affected if Version is less than 7.1.1.
  4. Check if CLI access is enabled and accessible
    Attempt to access the CLI via SSH or console to the appliance. Verify that authentication credentials exist and the CLI prompt is reachable.
    Affected if CLI access is enabled and the attacker can authenticate to the CLI interface.

The environment is affected if either Cisco Prime Infrastructure version < 3.10.4 or = 3.10.4, or Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager version < 7.1.1 is installed AND CLI access is available for an authenticated attacker to attempt privilege escalation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.10.4 / 7.1.1 or later
Fixed in 3.10.47.1.1
Interim mitigation

Apply Cisco vendor patches when available. Restrict CLI access to trusted administrators only and monitor for anomalous command execution.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Prime Infrastructure: 3.10.5 or later | Evolved Programmable Network Manager: 7.1.1 or later

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed version of Cisco Prime Infrastructure or Evolved Programmable Network Manager using the CLI command 'show version' or through the web interface.
  2. 2. For Prime Infrastructure: Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade. Back up the current configuration and database using the administration menu or CLI 'backup' command.
  3. 3. For Prime Infrastructure: Download Prime Infrastructure version 3.10.5 or later from the Cisco Software Download center (software.cisco.com).
  4. 4. For Evolved Programmable Network Manager: Download version 7.1.1 or later from the Cisco Software Download center.
  5. 5. Follow the Cisco upgrade guide for your specific product: for PI use the 'install' CLI command or the web-based upgrade wizard; for EPN Manager use the admin CLI 'upgrade' command.
  6. 6. After upgrade completes, verify the version using 'show version' and confirm root-level access is properly restricted.
  7. 7. Validate that the fix works by testing that standard admin accounts cannot escalate to root via CLI options.
Caveat Review Cisco release notes for your specific version for any compatibility changes or migration requirements before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Evolved Programmable Network Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,660
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,856.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-20260 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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