dbcve.org
Ios XrOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2024-20489

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 storage method of the PON Controller configuration file could allow an authenticated, local attacker with low privileges to obtain the MongoDB credentials. This vulnerability is due to improper storage of the unencrypted database credentials on the device that is running Cisco IOS XR Software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the configuration files on an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to view MongoDB credentials.

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

The PON Controller in Cisco IOS XR Software stores MongoDB credentials in plaintext within configuration files. A local attacker with low-level authenticated access can read these unencrypted credentials directly from the configuration files on disk.

MitigationApply the vendor patch when available and rotate all MongoDB credentials. Until patch deployment, restrict local access to configuration files and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.

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
Ios XrOperating system
Affected:= 24.1.1= 24.1.2= 24.2.1= 24.2.11= 24.3.1

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 PON Controller module presence
    Verify if the PON Controller feature is enabled in your Cisco IOS XR configuration. This is typically checked via CLI commands that list enabled components or feature flags.
    Affected if PON Controller is enabled and the IOS XR version matches 24.1.1, 24.1.2, 24.2.1, 24.2.11, or 24.3.1
  2. Confirm IOS XR version
    Run the command to display the installed Cisco IOS XR version (for example, 'show version' or similar available command). Compare the output against the affected versions: 24.1.1, 24.1.2, 24.2.1, 24.2.11, 24.3.1
    Affected if The installed version exactly matches one of these version numbers
  3. Locate configuration files containing MongoDB credentials
    Search configuration files on the system for plaintext MongoDB connection strings or credential fields. Examine files that store PON Controller or database configuration.
    Affected if Configuration files contain MongoDB credentials stored in plaintext (unencrypted) rather than being encrypted or masked
  4. Verify file access controls
    Inspect file permissions on the configuration directories to determine which local users have read access to files that may contain MongoDB credentials.
    Affected if Low-privilege authenticated users have read access to configuration files containing plaintext MongoDB credentials

You are affected if PON Controller is enabled on Cisco IOS XR version 24.1.1, 24.1.2, 24.2.1, 24.2.11, or 24.3.1 and configuration files contain unencrypted MongoDB credentials accessible to local users.

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 the vendor patch when available and rotate all MongoDB credentials. Until patch deployment, restrict local access to configuration files and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Cisco IOS XR 24.3.1 or later (any 24.3.x maintenance release)

  1. Verify the current Cisco IOS XR version using 'show version' command
  2. Backup current configuration using 'admin export configuration' or 'copy running-config tftp://'
  3. Plan maintenance window for upgrade as this requires system reload
  4. Download the fixed IOS XR release (24.3.1 or later) from Cisco software downloads
  5. Upgrade the device using 'install add file' followed by 'install activate' and 'install commit' commands
  6. After reboot, verify the new version with 'show version' and confirm the vulnerability is resolved by checking for updated PON Controller configuration handling
  7. Validate that MongoDB credentials are now properly encrypted/hashed in configuration files
Caveat Upgrade requires device reload; plan for downtime. Review Cisco IOS XR 24.3 release notes for any configuration syntax changes or feature modifications before upgrading.

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

Fix this in Ios Xr Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-20489 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