A vulnerability in the Guest Shell of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform directory traversal on the base Linux operating system of Cisco IOS XE Software. The vulnerability is due to incomplete validation of certain commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by first accessing the Guest Shell and then entering specific commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the base Linux operating system. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. This advisory is available at the following link: https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20190925-dt
A vulnerability in the Guest Shell of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform directory traversal on the base Linux operating system of Cisco IOS XE Software.
The vulnerability is due to incomplete validation of certain commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by first accessing the Guest Shell and then entering specific commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the base Linux operating system.
Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
This advisory is available at the following link:
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20190925-dt
At the time of publication, this vulnerability affected Cisco devices running a vulnerable release of Cisco IOS XE Software if it supported the Guest Shell feature. If the device accepts the CLI command guestshell, the device supports the Guest Shell. A device that does not accept the command will show an error message that contains Unknown command or computer name.
The Guest Shell was introduced in Cisco IOS XE Software Release 16.5.1. For more information about which Cisco IOS XE Software releases were vulnerable at the time of publication, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.
Only products listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory are known to be affected by this vulnerability.
Cisco has confirmed that this vulnerability does not affect Cisco IOS Software, Cisco IOS XR Software, or Cisco NX-OS Software.
There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
For detailed information about affected and fixed software releases, consult the Cisco IOS Software Checker.
When considering software upgrades, customers are advised to regularly consult the advisories for Cisco products, which are available from the Cisco Security Advisories and Alerts page, to determine exposure and a complete upgrade solution.
In all cases, customers should ensure that the devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and confirm that current hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported properly by the new release. If the information is not clear, customers are advised to contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or their contracted maintenance providers.
To help customers determine their exposure to vulnerabilities in Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software, Cisco provides a tool, the Cisco IOS Software Checker, that identifies any Cisco Security Advisories that impact a specific software release and the earliest release that fixes the vulnerabilities described in each advisory (“First Fixed”). If applicable, the tool also returns the earliest release that fixes all the vulnerabilities described in all the advisories identified (“Combined First Fixed”).
Customers can use this tool to perform the following tasks:
To determine whether a release is affected by any published Cisco Security Advisory, use the Cisco IOS Software Checker on Cisco.com or enter a Cisco IOS or IOS XE Software release-for example, 15.1(4)M2 or 3.13.8S-in the following field:
By default, the Cisco IOS Software Checker includes results only for vulnerabilities that have a Critical or High Security Impact Rating (SIR). To include results for Medium SIR vulnerabilities, use the Cisco IOS Software Checker on Cisco.com and check the Medium check box in the Impact Rating drop-down list.
For a mapping of Cisco IOS XE Software releases to Cisco IOS Software releases, refer to the Cisco IOS XE 2 Release Notes, Cisco IOS XE 3S Release Notes, or Cisco IOS XE 3SG Release Notes, depending on the Cisco IOS XE Software release.
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.
This vulnerability was found during internal security testing.
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 public release. | - | Final | 2019-September-25 |
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