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Application Policy Infrastructure ControllerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2024-20478

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-28
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 software upgrade component of Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) and Cisco Cloud Network Controller, formerly Cisco Cloud APIC, could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with Administrator-level privileges to install a modified software image, leading to arbitrary code injection on an affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient signature validation of software images. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by installing a modified software image. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system and elevate their privileges to root. Note: Administrators should always validate the hash of any upgrade image before uploading it to Cisco APIC and Cisco Cloud Network Controller.

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 vulnerability exists in the software upgrade component of Cisco APIC and Cloud Network Controller where insufficient signature validation allows a modified software image to be installed. An authenticated attacker with Administrator privileges can upload a crafted software image that bypasses validation checks, enabling arbitrary code execution with root privileges on the affected system.

MitigationAdministrators must validate the cryptographic hash of any upgrade image before uploading it to the controller. Organizations should also review upgrade procedures and implement image signing verification in the upgrade pipeline.

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
Application Policy Infrastructure ControllerApplication
Affected:= 1.1\(1d\)= 1.1\(1j\)= 1.1\(1n\)= 1.1\(1o\)= 1.1\(1r\)= 1.1\(1s\)= 1.1\(2h\)= 1.1\(2i\)= 1.1\(3f\)= 1.1\(4e\)= 1.1\(4f\)= 1.1\(4g\)

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 APIC version
    Log into the APIC controller and run 'show version' via CLI or check the version in the GUI under System > Controllers > Controllers > version
    Affected if The installed version matches one of: 1.1(1d), 1.1(1j), 1.1(1n), 1.1(1o), 1.1(1r), 1.1(1s), 1.1(2h), 1.1(2i), 1.1(3f), 1.1(4e), 1.1(4f), or 1.1(4g)
  2. Verify Administrator access exists
    Check for any locally configured Administrator accounts in the APIC under Admin > AAA > Users > Local Users
    Affected if Any Administrator-level accounts are present on the system
  3. Confirm software upgrade capability is in use
    Review recent upgrade activities by checking System > Upgrade > Upgrade History in the APIC GUI or reviewing upgrade log files via 'show upgrade history' command
    Affected if Any software upgrades have been performed on the system, indicating the vulnerable component is present and accessible
  4. Audit recent image uploads
    Check the upgrade image repository or audit logs for any recently uploaded .bin or .iso image files under System > Upgrade > Software Images
    Affected if Image files exist in the upgrade repository, as the vulnerability is triggered when uploading crafted software images

The system is affected if running a matched version AND having Administrator accounts configured, since the exploit requires both conditions to be present.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Administrators must validate the cryptographic hash of any upgrade image before uploading it to the controller. Organizations should also review upgrade procedures and implement image signing verification in the upgrade pipeline.

Fix this in Application Policy Infrastructure Controller Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
50.0 hours of engineering $8,800
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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-2024-20478 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