A vulnerability in the input parsing of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute commands on the underlying operating system. The vulnerability is due to poor processing of parameters that include special characters. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using the back quote character in certain command parameters. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access the bash shell and run arbitrary shell commands with root privileges. Cisco has confirmed the vulnerability in a security notice and has released software updates. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker requires authenticated access to the targeted system. Authenticated access may require the attacker to access trusted, internal networks. These access requirements could limit the likelihood of a successful exploit. Cisco indicates through the CVSS score that functional exploit code exists; however, the code is not known to be publicly available.
The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.
To learn about Cisco security vulnerability disclosure policies and publications, see the Security Vulnerability Policy. This document also contains instructions for obtaining fixed software and receiving security vulnerability information from Cisco.
| Version | Description | Section | Status | Date |
| 1.0 | Initial Release | NA | Final | 2013-Oct-08 |
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