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Unified Computing SystemApplication · Cisco

CVE-2024-20365

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 Redfish API of Cisco UCS B-Series, Cisco UCS Managed C-Series, and Cisco UCS X-Series Servers could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with administrative privileges to perform command injection attacks on an affected system and elevate privileges to root. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker with administrative privileges could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted commands through the Redfish API on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to root.

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 confidence

This is a command injection vulnerability in Cisco UCS B-Series, C-Series, and X-Series Servers' Redfish API. An authenticated attacker with administrative privileges can send crafted commands through insufficiently validated input fields in the Redfish API, allowing arbitrary command execution and privilege escalation to root.

MitigationApply Cisco's patch for this vulnerability when available. Restrict Redfish API access to trusted administrative users only and monitor for suspicious command patterns in API logs.

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
Unified Computing SystemApplication
Affected:= 4.1\(2a\)= 4.1\(2b\)= 4.1\(2c\)= 4.1\(3a\)= 4.1\(3b\)= 4.1\(3c\)= 4.1\(3d\)= 4.1\(3e\)= 4.1\(3f\)= 4.1\(3h\)= 4.1\(3i\)= 4.1\(3j\)

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 Cisco UCS firmware version
    Access the Cisco UCS Manager or CIMC interface and navigate to the BIOS/firmware version information. Alternatively, use the command 'show version' via SSH or the API to retrieve the installed UCS firmware version.
    Affected if The installed version matches 4.1(2a), 4.1(2b), 4.1(2c), 4.1(3a), 4.1(3b), 4.1(3c), 4.1(3d), 4.1(3e), 4.1(3f), 4.1(3h), 4.1(3i), or 4.1(3j)
  2. Confirm Redfish API is enabled
    In the Cisco UCS Manager or CIMC web interface, navigate to the Redfish API settings or check via CLI with the command 'show redfish' or 'show service-profile' to verify the Redfish service is active.
    Affected if Redfish API is enabled and accessible on the system
  3. Review Redfish API access logs for suspicious commands
    Access the Redfish API audit logs through the UCS Manager or CIMC log viewer. Look for API calls containing shell metacharacters like ; | & $ ` or unexpected command patterns in Redfish request payloads.
    Affected if Logs contain Redfish API requests with injected shell commands or unusual parameter values that deviate from standard Redfish schema
  4. Check for unauthorized administrative accounts
    In UCS Manager, navigate to the User Management section and review all accounts with administrative privileges. Compare against expected administrator list and look for unauthorized or recently added admin accounts.
    Affected if Unexpected administrative accounts exist or privilege escalation events are logged

A system is affected if it runs any of the listed Cisco UCS versions AND has the Redfish API enabled, allowing an authenticated administrator to potentially inject commands through Redfish API input fields.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Cisco's patch for this vulnerability when available. Restrict Redfish API access to trusted administrative users only and monitor for suspicious command patterns in API logs.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Cisco UCS firmware 4.1(3d) or later in the 4.1.x train, or latest 4.2.x/4.3.x release

  1. 1. Identify the specific Cisco UCS model (B-Series, C-Series, or X-Series) in your environment
  2. 2. Access the Cisco UCS Manager or Cisco IMC web UI for the affected server
  3. 3. Navigate to the firmware management section
  4. 4. Download the latest Cisco UCS firmware from Cisco's software download center (software.cisco.com)
  5. 5. Upgrade the firmware to version 4.1(3d) or later for the 4.1.x train, or migrate to the latest stable 4.2.x or 4.3.x release
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the Redfish API functionality works correctly
  7. 7. Confirm the system is running the patched firmware version
Caveat Firmware upgrades on UCS servers may require downtime and should be planned carefully; ensure compatibility with existing UCS Manager infrastructure

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

Fix this in Unified Computing System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2024-20365 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