Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Cisco NFVIS has a web server behavior that can reveal whether file names exist on the system to a logged-in remote attacker. This is not a full system compromise by itself, but it can expose internal file structure and support later attacks. The source bundle does not identify specific affected versions or a named fix.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate infrastructure hygiene issue. It requires authenticated access and has limited direct impact, but NFVIS can support critical network functions, so exposed management interfaces should be reviewed promptly.
Technical view
CVE-2019-12623 is an authenticated remote file enumeration issue in Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software web server functionality. Different error responses for existing versus non-existing files allow file presence inference. CVSS v3.0 is 4.3, with low attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and low confidentiality impact only.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software management web functionality is reachable by authenticated users. The provided affected-version data is unspecified, so owners must map deployed NFVIS versions against Cisco guidance.
Exploitation context
The source states an authenticated remote attacker can enumerate files by observing differing web server error behavior. KEV status is false, and the provided sources do not report active exploitation or public weaponization.
Researcher notes
The evidence supports file enumeration only, not file read, code execution, privilege escalation, or denial of service. Affected versions are not specified in the bundle; rely on Cisco’s advisory for precise product-version remediation details.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco’s advisory for affected and fixed NFVIS releases.
- Inventory Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software deployments.
- Restrict NFVIS web management access to trusted administrative networks.
- Review and minimize accounts with NFVIS web access.
- Monitor management web logs for unusual file-probing patterns.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software is deployed.
- Compare deployed NFVIS versions with Cisco advisory guidance.
- Verify NFVIS web management is not broadly reachable.
- Review authentication logs for suspicious access to NFVIS management.
- Check web logs for repeated requests targeting many file names.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-538: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2019-12623 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.3 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N2.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20190821 Cisco Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure Software File Enumeration VulnerabilityCVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_CISCO
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Externally-Accessible File or Directory
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Externally-Accessible File or Directory represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.