CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2019-1591 — Cisco Nx-Os security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.8

A vulnerability in a specific CLI command implementation of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series ACI Mode Switch Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to escape a restricted shell on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input when issuing a specific CLI command with parameters on an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the device CLI and issuing certain commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to escape the restricted shell and execute arbitrary commands with root-level privileges on the affected device. This vulnerability only affects Cisco Nexus 9000 Series ACI Mode Switches that are running a release prior to 14.0(3d).

Severity
High
CVSS
7.8 (3.1)
Published
2019-03-06
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
operating-system
Weaknesses
CWE-264, CWE-78

Affected products

  • cisco / nx-os

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

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Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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