CVE-2016-1341 in NX-OS
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco NX-OS 7.0(1)N1(1), 7.0(1)N1(3), and 7.0(4)N1(1) on Nexus 2000 Fabric Extender devices has a blank root password, which allows local users to gain privileges via unspecified vectors, aka Bug ID CSCur22079.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/08/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1341 represents a critical security flaw in Cisco NX-OS software versions 7.0(1)N1(1), 7.0(1)N1(3), and 7.0(4)N1(1) running on Nexus 2000 Fabric Extender devices. This issue stems from a configuration oversight where the root account possesses a blank password, creating an inherent weakness that can be exploited by local attackers to escalate privileges and gain full administrative control over the affected network infrastructure. The vulnerability was catalogued under Bug ID CSCur22079, indicating its classification within Cisco's internal tracking systems for security issues.
The technical nature of this flaw resides in the improper initialization of the root account credentials during the device provisioning process. When a Nexus 2000 Fabric Extender device is deployed with the affected software versions, the root user account is created without a password, allowing any local user with access to the device to authenticate as root without providing any authentication credentials. This configuration error falls under the category of weak credential management and improper privilege initialization, which aligns with CWE-255 - "Credentials Management" and CWE-798 - "Use of Hard-coded Credentials" in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The vulnerability essentially provides an open door for privilege escalation attacks, as local users can directly log into the system with root privileges without any authentication requirements.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for network security infrastructure. Local attackers who gain physical or logical access to these Fabric Extender devices can immediately assume full administrative control over the network switches, potentially allowing them to modify network configurations, redirect traffic, implement man-in-the-middle attacks, or establish persistent backdoors. The Nexus 2000 series devices serve as critical components in data center networks, connecting servers to core switching infrastructure, making them prime targets for attackers seeking to compromise large-scale network environments. This vulnerability undermines the fundamental security assumptions of the network infrastructure, as it allows attackers to bypass all authentication mechanisms and gain immediate access to sensitive network operations. The attack surface is particularly concerning because Fabric Extenders are often deployed in environments where physical security may be limited, and the vulnerability can be exploited by individuals with minimal technical expertise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-1341 require immediate action from network administrators to address the root cause of the vulnerability. The primary remediation involves upgrading the affected Cisco NX-OS software to versions that properly initialize the root account with a strong password or disable the root account entirely. Organizations should implement comprehensive network inventory management to identify all affected devices and prioritize their remediation based on network criticality and risk assessment. Network segmentation and access control measures should be enhanced to limit local access to these devices, while implementing strong physical security controls to prevent unauthorized personnel from gaining access to the equipment. Additionally, regular security audits and configuration reviews should be conducted to ensure that similar credential management issues do not occur in other network components. The vulnerability's classification under the MITRE ATT&CK framework would include techniques such as credential access and privilege escalation, making it a critical target for defensive measures that focus on protecting administrative accounts and implementing proper access controls. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect unauthorized access attempts to administrative accounts and provide alerts when suspicious login activities occur on network infrastructure devices.