Confd BasicApplication · Cisco
CVE-2024-20326
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 ConfD CLI and the Cisco Crosswork Network Services Orchestrator CLI could allow an authenticated, low-privileged, local attacker to read and write arbitrary files as root on the underlying operating system. This vulnerability is due to improper authorization enforcement when specific CLI commands are used. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by executing an affected CLI command with crafted arguments. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read or write arbitrary files on the underlying operating system with the privileges of the root user.
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 a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the ConfD CLI and Cisco Crosswork Network Services Orchestrator CLI. An authenticated low-privileged attacker can execute specific CLI commands with crafted arguments to bypass authorization checks, enabling arbitrary file read/write operations on the underlying OS with root privileges.
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
Confd BasicApplication
= 7.1.7= 7.8.3= 8.0= 8.0.1= 8.0.2= 8.0.3= 8.0.4= 8.0.5= 8.0.6= 8.0.7= 8.0.8= 8.0.9
Confd PremiumApplication
= 7.3.5= 7.3.5.1= 7.3.5.2= 7.3.6= 7.4.5= 7.4.5.1= 7.4.5.2= 7.4.5.3= 7.4.6= 7.4.7= 7.4.8= 7.5.3
Crosswork Network Services OrchestratorApplication
>= 5.3.5, < 5.4>= 5.4.5, < 5.5>= 5.5.3, < 5.5.10.1>= 5.6, < 5.6.14.3>= 5.7, < 5.7.15>= 5.8, < 5.8.13.1>= 6.0, <= 6.0.12>= 6.1, <= 6.1.7>= 6.2, < 6.2.2= 5.1.7= 6.0.11= 6.2.1CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Cisco ConfD versionRun 'confd --version' or check the confd binary version on the system. If running as a service, check the package version installed via the package manager or examine the confd application directory.Affected if The version matches any of these: 7.1.7, 7.8.3, 8.0 through 8.0.9 (Basic); or 7.3.5 through 7.5.3 (Premium).
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Identify installed Cisco Crosswork NSO versionRun 'nso --version' or check the NSO installation directory for version information. The version is often displayed on NSO CLI login or available via 'show version' command.Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 5.3.5 to <5.4, 5.4.5 to <5.5, 5.5.3 to <5.5.10.1, 5.6 to <5.6.14.3, 5.7 to <5.7.15, 5.8 to <5.8.13.1, 6.0 to 6.0.12, 6.1 to 6.1.7, 6.2 to <6.2.2; or equals exactly 5.1.7, 6.0.11, or 6.2.1.
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Verify CLI interface is accessibleAttempt to access the ConfD CLI or NSO CLI interface. For ConfD, try 'confd_cli' or connecting to the NETCONF/CLI port. For NSO, try 'nso cli' or log in via SSH to the NSO management interface.Affected if The CLI is accessible to authenticated users, including low-privileged accounts.
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Check for low-privileged CLI user accountsReview user accounts configured for ConfD or NSO CLI access. List users with 'show users' in ConfD CLI, or check the NSO AAA configuration for defined user roles and privilege levels.Affected if There exist authenticated users with limited (non-root) privilege levels who can access the CLI.
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Inspect for suspicious CLI command patterns in logsSearch system and application logs (typically under /var/log/ or the ConfD/NSO log directory) for anomalous file operation commands, particularly those using the 'file' or 'copy' CLI utilities with unexpected paths.Affected if Logs show file operations via CLI initiated by non-privileged users, or authorization bypass patterns.
You are affected if the ConfD or Crosswork NSO version matches the affected list AND the CLI is accessible to authenticated low-privileged 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 · scoped5.45.55.5.10.1
Apply vendor patches when available. Until then, restrict local CLI access to trusted, privileged users only and monitor for suspicious CLI command patterns.
Crosswork NSO: 5.6.14.3 or 5.7.x (latest); Confd Basic: 8.0.2 or later; Confd Premium: 7.3.7 or later
- 1. Identify the exact Confd or Crosswork Network Services Orchestrator version currently installed using 'confd --version' or the product's CLI show command
- 2. For Confd Basic/Premium: Upgrade to the latest available version from Cisco (versions after 8.0.1 for Basic, after 7.3.6 for Premium)
- 3. For Crosswork Network Services Orchestrator: Upgrade to version 5.6.14.3 or later (5.7.x recommended if available)
- 4. After upgrade, verify the vulnerability is resolved by confirming the CLI command behavior has changed
- 5. Review Cisco's official advisory at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for complete fixed version details
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Confd Basic
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA5.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-20326 — 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-2024-20326 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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