CVE-2019-1783 in NX-OS
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with administrator credentials to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying Linux operating system with the privilege level of root. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of arguments passed to a specific CLI command on the affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by including malicious input as the argument of an affected command. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying Linux operating system with elevated privileges. An attacker would need valid administrator credentials to exploit this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-1783 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within Cisco NX-OS Software command line interface implementation. This security weakness exists in the underlying Linux operating system that powers Cisco network devices, specifically affecting the way the system validates input parameters passed to certain CLI commands. The flaw stems from inadequate input sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly validate the arguments supplied to specific administrative commands, creating a pathway for malicious input to be interpreted and executed with root-level privileges.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an authenticated attacker possessing administrator credentials, which significantly reduces the attack surface but does not eliminate the severity of the issue. When an attacker crafts malicious input and passes it as an argument to the affected CLI command, the insufficient validation allows the system to treat this input as executable code rather than benign parameter data. This misconfiguration enables the execution of arbitrary commands within the Linux environment with the highest possible privilege level, effectively providing complete system control to the attacker.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple command execution, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of Cisco network infrastructure devices. Network administrators who believe their systems are protected by standard access controls face a critical risk, as this vulnerability allows attackers to bypass traditional security measures and gain root access to the underlying operating system. This privilege escalation capability enables attackers to modify system configurations, install backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive data, or disrupt network operations with complete system control.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-1783 should prioritize immediate implementation of Cisco's security patches and updates to address the specific input validation flaws. Organizations must enforce strict access control policies and implement the principle of least privilege, ensuring that administrative credentials are protected and only granted to authorized personnel. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous command execution patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-78 categories, representing command injection flaws that enable arbitrary code execution through insufficient input validation. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and command execution tactics, making it a significant concern for cybersecurity teams responsible for protecting network infrastructure.