Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets someone who already has high-level Cisco device administrator access bypass virtual service image signature checks and load an unsigned OVA image. The immediate business risk is not internet-wide compromise, but abuse of privileged network-device access to run malicious code on critical infrastructure.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority infrastructure hardening item. It is not described as remotely exploitable without credentials, but it affects trusted network devices and could turn stolen admin access into code execution on core infrastructure.
Technical view
Cisco describes improper signature verification during OVA virtual service installation in NX-OS and IOS XE Software. An authenticated local attacker with administrator or privilege level 15 credentials could load a malicious unsigned OVA and achieve code execution from the crafted software image. The issue maps to CWE-347.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in environments running affected Cisco NX-OS or IOS XE software with virtual service image installation capability. The bundle specifically lists Cisco NX-OS Software 6.0(2)A1(1); exact IOS XE affected versions are not provided here.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation, and KEV status is false. Exploitation requires local authenticated access with administrator or privilege level 15 credentials, so the realistic scenario is privileged insider misuse or post-compromise escalation on a managed network device.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Cisco advisory reference. The provided bundle does not include fixed-version details, workaround text, exploit availability, or broader affected-version ranges beyond the listed NX-OS entry and description naming IOS XE.
Mitigation direction
- Check Cisco advisory cisco-sa-20190925-vman for fixed releases and vendor guidance.
- Restrict administrator and privilege level 15 access to trusted, monitored accounts.
- Audit installed virtual service OVA images for unauthorized or unsigned content.
- Review device logs for unexpected virtual service installation activity.
- Strengthen administrative credential controls and remove stale privileged accounts.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cisco NX-OS and IOS XE devices that support virtual services.
- Compare device software versions against Cisco advisory cisco-sa-20190925-vman.
- Review administrator accounts with privilege level 15 access.
- Check whether virtual service OVA installation has occurred on affected devices.
- Confirm monitoring covers privileged local administrative actions.
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 lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2019-12662 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 NX-OS and IOS XE Software Virtual Service Image Signature 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.