Nexus DashboardApplication · Cisco
CVE-2024-20281
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 Nexus Dashboard and Cisco Nexus Dashboard hosted services could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attack on an affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient CSRF protections for the web-based management interface on an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user to click a malicious link. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to perform arbitrary actions with the privilege level of the affected user. If the affected user has administrative privileges, these actions could include modifying the system configuration and creating new privileged accounts. Note: There are internal security mechanisms in place that limit the scope of this exploit, reducing the Security Impact Rating of 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 confidenceCross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Cisco Nexus Dashboard's web-based management interface due to insufficient CSRF protections. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this by tricking an authenticated user into clicking a malicious link, allowing arbitrary actions with the user's privilege level—including system configuration changes and creation of privileged accounts if the user is an administrator.
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
Nexus DashboardApplication
< 3.1(1k)
Nexus Dashboard Fabric ControllerApplication
>= 12.0.0, < 12.2.1
Nexus Dashboard InsightsApplication
< 6.4.1
Nexus Dashboard OrchestratorApplication
< 4.3(1.1008)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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 the installed Cisco Nexus Dashboard productAccess the system CLI or admin interface and run 'show version' or check the web management login page for product nameAffected if The product is Cisco Nexus Dashboard, Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller, Cisco Nexus Dashboard Insights, or Cisco Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator
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Determine the installed software versionUse the CLI command 'show version' or log into the web interface and navigate to Admin > System > Software Management to view the exact version numberAffected if The version falls within: Cisco Nexus Dashboard < 3.1(1k), Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller >= 12.0.0 and < 12.2.1, Cisco Nexus Dashboard Insights < 6.4.1, or Cisco Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator < 4.3(1.1008)
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Confirm the web-based management interface is enabledCheck if the HTTPS web interface is accessible on port 443 or verify via CLI that 'http-server' or 'web-ui' service is enabledAffected if The web-based management interface is active and reachable for authenticated users
The environment is affected if the installed product is one of the four Cisco Nexus Dashboard variants AND the version is below the fixed release AND the web management interface is enabled and accessible to 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 · scoped3.14.36.4.1
Apply Cisco patches when available; in the interim, users should avoid clicking untrusted links while authenticated to the Nexus Dashboard interface.
Nexus Dashboard: 3.1(1k) | Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller: 12.2.1 | Nexus Dashboard Insights: 6.4.1 | Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator: 4.3(1.1008)
- 1. Identify which Cisco Nexus Dashboard component(s) are deployed in your environment (Nexus Dashboard, Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller, Nexus Dashboard Insights, or Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator)
- 2. For Nexus Dashboard: Upgrade to version 3.1(1k) or later
- 3. For Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller: Upgrade to version 12.2.1 or later
- 4. For Nexus Dashboard Insights: Upgrade to version 6.4.1 or later
- 5. For Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator: Upgrade to version 4.3(1.1008) or later
- 6. After upgrading, verify the system is functioning correctly and review admin logs for any suspicious activity that may have occurred prior to patching
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Nexus Dashboard
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 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 $8,960.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-20281 — 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-2024-20281 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
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