CVE-2019-1895 in Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) console implementation of Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software (NFVIS) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access the VNC console session of an administrative user on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to an insufficient authentication mechanism used to establish a VNC session. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by intercepting an administrator VNC session request prior to login. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to watch the administrator console session or interact with it, allowing admin access to the affected device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-1895 represents a critical security flaw within Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software (NFVIS) that compromises the integrity of virtual network computing console sessions. This issue specifically affects the authentication mechanisms employed by the VNC implementation, creating an exploitable condition that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain administrative access to network devices. The vulnerability stems from inadequate session management protocols that fail to properly authenticate users before establishing console access, fundamentally undermining the security posture of enterprise network infrastructure deployments.
This security weakness manifests through insufficient authentication controls that permit attackers to intercept and manipulate VNC session requests before legitimate authentication occurs. The flaw operates at the protocol level where session establishment occurs without proper verification mechanisms, enabling attackers to potentially eavesdrop on administrative console sessions or actively participate in them. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple surveillance capabilities as it provides complete administrative control over affected devices, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise network infrastructure where NFVIS is deployed. The attack vector requires only network access to intercept session requests, making it highly exploitable in environments where network traffic is not properly secured.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are severe and multifaceted, as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized administrative access to critical network infrastructure components. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can monitor all administrative activities, execute commands, modify configurations, and potentially escalate privileges to gain broader network access. The vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues in software systems, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566 for phishing, as the exploitation involves intercepting legitimate session requests. Organizations using Cisco NFVIS deployments face significant risk of unauthorized access to their network management interfaces, potentially leading to complete system compromise and data breaches.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-1895 should prioritize immediate implementation of network segmentation and access controls to prevent unauthorized network access to NFVIS devices. Organizations must ensure proper network encryption and authentication mechanisms are in place to protect VNC session communications, including implementing secure tunneling protocols such as SSH or SSL/TLS to encrypt console sessions. Cisco has released patches and updates to address this vulnerability, and organizations should immediately apply these security updates to their NFVIS deployments. Network administrators should also implement monitoring solutions to detect anomalous VNC session activity and establish strict access controls for administrative interfaces. Additionally, organizations should consider disabling VNC console access when not actively required and implement multi-factor authentication mechanisms for all administrative access points to reduce the attack surface and improve overall security posture against similar vulnerabilities.