CVE-2019-1804

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Fabric Switches Application Centric Infrastructure Mode Default SSH Key Vulnerability

Critical · published May 3, 2019

CVSS v3.0
9.8
EPSS
3%
Percentile
89.0
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

🚨 The presence of a default SSH key pair means a simple connection can grant root access to your Cisco Nexus 9000 — talk about a security nightmare! 🔥 It's like leaving the front door of your house wide open with a spare key hidden under the mat — anyone savvy enough could just stroll right in without a care in the world! An unauthenticated attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting via IPv6, effectively waltzing in as the root user. This could lead to devastating consequences, such as unauthorized access to sensitive data, changes to system configurations, or even causing disruptions. If left unaddressed, this vulnerability can compromise the integrity and security of your entire network!

Put simply

It's like leaving the front door of your house wide open with a spare key hidden under the mat — anyone savvy enough could just stroll right in without a care in the world! This vulnerability in the Cisco Nexus 9000's SSH key management allows remote attackers to use a default SSH key pair to gain root privileges over IPv6, presenting a significant security risk for affected systems.

What to do

An unauthenticated attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting via IPv6, effectively waltzing in as the root user. This could lead to devastating consequences, such as unauthorized access to sensitive data, changes to system configurations, or even causing disruptions. If left unaddressed, this vulnerability can compromise the integrity and security of your entire network! To protect your environment, first, disable IPv6 if it's not needed. Then, change the default SSH key pair on all affected devices and ensure you're running the latest software updates to patch this vulnerability. Regularly audit your SSH configurations as part of your security best practices. You've got this! With these steps, you can lock down your systems and boost your security posture in no time! 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.0
9.8 · CRITICAL
Vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.03451 · 89.0th percentile
Published
2019-05-03T16:25Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 03 MAY 16:25Z
    Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Fabric Switches Application Centric Infrastructure Mode Default SSH Key Vulnerability
    cvelistv5