Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
An authenticated local CLI user could change low-level device memory on an affected Cisco IOS XE device, potentially making network equipment insecure or unstable. This is not described as remotely exploitable without access, but it matters where shared administration, weak account control, or compromised credentials exist.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted network infrastructure risk, especially in environments with many administrators or weak credential controls. Prioritize inventory and vendor-guided remediation, but urgency is lower than unauthenticated remote-execution issues.
Technical view
CVE-2019-12660 is an improper input validation and authorization flaw in Cisco IOS XE CLI commands. With local authenticated access, an attacker could write values to underlying memory and alter device configuration. CVSS 3.0 is 5.5, with local attack vector, low privileges required, and high integrity impact.
Likely exposure
The source bundle names Cisco IOS XE Software 3.2.11aSG as affected. Exposure should be confirmed against Cisco’s advisory and device inventory. Do not assume other products or versions are affected from the provided evidence alone.
Exploitation context
The provided sources indicate exploitation requires authenticated local access to the device CLI. CISA KEV status is false, and the bundle provides no evidence of active exploitation. No exploit details should be inferred beyond the CVE description.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE metadata and Cisco advisory reference. The weakness is mapped to CWE-668, and the stated impact is integrity-focused. The source bundle does not provide patch details, exploit maturity, or broader affected-version ranges.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco’s advisory for fixed releases or vendor-approved workarounds.
- Inventory IOS XE devices and identify any running the named affected version.
- Restrict CLI access to trusted administrative users only.
- Review and tighten device account privileges and authentication controls.
- Monitor configuration changes on affected network devices.
Validation and detection
- Confirm device software versions against the Cisco advisory.
- Review administrative account lists for unnecessary local CLI access.
- Check change logs for unexpected configuration modifications.
- Validate that network device access paths require strong authentication.
- Document any affected assets and remediation status.
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-668: 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-2019-12660 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
- 5.5 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N1.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20190925 Cisco IOS XE Software ASIC Register Write 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.
Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere
Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.