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Nexus Dashboard Fabric ControllerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2024-20432

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.2.2 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 REST API and web UI of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) could allow an authenticated, low-privileged, remote attacker to perform a command injection attack against an affected device.   This vulnerability is due to improper user authorization and insufficient validation of command arguments. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting crafted commands to an affected REST API endpoint or through the web UI. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the CLI of a Cisco NDFC-managed device with network-admin privileges.   Note: This vulnerability does not affect Cisco NDFC when it is configured for storage area network (SAN) controller deployment.

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

A command injection vulnerability exists in Cisco NDFC's REST API and web UI where authenticated low-privileged users can inject and execute arbitrary commands on managed devices with network-admin privileges. The vulnerability stems from improper user authorization checks and insufficient validation/sanitization of command arguments passed through API endpoints or the web interface.

MitigationApply Cisco's official patch when available. Until then, restrict access to NDFC REST API and web UI to trusted, minimal-privilege users only, and monitor for suspicious command activity.

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 Dashboard Fabric ControllerApplication
Affected:>= 12.0.0, < 12.2.2

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Cisco NDFC installation and version
    Locate the NDFC management interface and check the software version under 'About' or 'System' settings. Alternatively, use the CLI command 'show version' on the NDFC appliance if SSH access is available.
    Affected if The installed version is 12.0.0 through 12.2.1 (anything >= 12.0.0 but < 12.2.2)
  2. Confirm REST API is accessible
    Attempt to reach the NDFC REST API endpoint (typically https://<ndfc-host>/api/v1/) using a web browser or curl command. Check for HTTP 200 or 401 responses to confirm the service is exposed.
    Affected if The REST API endpoint returns a valid response, indicating it is enabled and reachable
  3. Confirm web UI is accessible
    Navigate to the NDFC web UI login page in a browser (typically https://<ndfc-host>/login). Verify the page loads successfully.
    Affected if The web UI login page is accessible and loads without errors
  4. Review user accounts for low-privilege users
    Log into NDFC and navigate to the user management section. List all user accounts and their assigned roles. Look for users with roles below 'network-admin' (such as 'read-only' or 'operator').
    Affected if There exist authenticated users with roles other than network-admin who have API or web UI access
  5. Inspect logs for suspicious command execution
    Access NDFC system logs or audit logs (typically under 'Administration' > 'Logs' > 'Audit'). Search for API calls or web UI actions that include unusual or unexpected CLI commands, especially from non-admin users.
    Affected if Logs show command execution from low-privilege users or commands containing unexpected shell metacharacters

You are affected if NDFC version is between 12.0.0 and 12.2.1 and the REST API or web UI is accessible to authenticated users with non-network-admin roles.

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 12.2.2 or later
Fixed in 12.2.2
Interim mitigation

Apply Cisco's official patch when available. Until then, restrict access to NDFC REST API and web UI to trusted, minimal-privilege users only, and monitor for suspicious command activity.

Recommended fix High confidence

Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller 12.2.2 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current version of Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller by accessing the web UI or using the API
  2. 2. Confirm the current version is between 12.0.0 and 12.2.1 (inclusive), which is affected by CVE-2024-20432
  3. 3. Review Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller release notes for version 12.2.2 to understand new features and changes
  4. 4. Create a full backup of the current NDFC configuration
  5. 5. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades require downtime
  6. 6. Download the NDFC version 12.2.2 or later software from Cisco
  7. 7. Follow Cisco's documented upgrade procedure for NDFC (refer to installation/upgrade guide)
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify the new version is 12.2.2 or higher
Caveat Review release notes for version 12.2.2 for any configuration or behavioral changes; test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $6,000
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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-2024-20432 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