Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw weakens trust in Cisco IOS XE software images. A highly privileged local attacker could make an affected device boot software without proper digital signature verification, potentially replacing trusted network device software with malicious or unsigned code.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority network infrastructure integrity issue. It is not described as remotely exploitable, but compromise of a privileged device administrator could lead to full device control through malicious software at boot.
Technical view
CVE-2019-12649 is a CWE-347 signature verification bypass in Cisco IOS XE Image Verification. Under certain circumstances, an authenticated local attacker with high privileges can configure affected devices to skip system image signature checks during boot, allowing malicious images or unsigned binaries. CVSS v3.0 is 6.7.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to organizations running the affected Cisco IOS XE Software 3.2.11aSG or other versions identified by Cisco guidance. The source describes local, authenticated, high-privilege access, not unauthenticated remote exploitation.
Exploitation context
CISA KEV status is false in the provided bundle, and no cited source states active exploitation. Exploitation requires privileged local access and abuse of a boot-process feature, so insider risk, stolen admin credentials, and weak device access controls matter most.
Researcher notes
The bundle does not include detailed fixed versions, configuration names, exploit procedures, or indicators of compromise. Analysis should stay anchored to Cisco’s advisory and local device configuration review. Do not assume broader affected products beyond the cited Cisco IOS XE scope.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco’s advisory for fixed-release and upgrade guidance.
- Restrict local and administrative access to IOS XE devices.
- Audit who can change boot settings or install device images.
- Use only trusted Cisco images obtained through approved channels.
- Monitor network devices for unexpected image, binary, or boot configuration changes.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cisco IOS XE devices and versions against Cisco’s advisory.
- Identify devices running Cisco IOS XE Software 3.2.11aSG.
- Review boot and image verification configuration for deviations from policy.
- Check change history for unexpected image installation or boot changes.
- Confirm privileged access is limited to authorized administrators.
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-347: 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-2019-12649 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
- 6.7 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H0.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
6.7MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20190925 Cisco IOS XE Software Digital Signature Verification Bypass 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.
Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature
Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.