Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Cisco DCNM had path traversal flaws that could let a logged-in administrator read or modify sensitive files through API or application framework paths. The business risk is high because successful abuse could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability of a data center management platform.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority where DCNM manages production data center networks. The flaw requires admin access, but impact is severe and related authentication bypass issues may change practical risk.
Technical view
CVE-2019-15980 covers multiple CWE-22 directory traversal issues in Cisco DCNM REST/SOAP API endpoints and the Application Framework feature. CVSS 3.0 is 7.2: network-accessible, low complexity, high privileges required, no user interaction, high CIA impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to environments running Cisco Data Center Network Manager with reachable DCNM API or Application Framework surfaces. The provided bundle does not identify exact affected versions, so teams must map deployed versions against Cisco guidance.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show KEV listing or cited active exploitation. Abuse requires administrative privileges on DCNM, but Cisco noted severity is aggravated by separately published DCNM authentication bypass vulnerabilities.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE bundle and Cisco advisory reference. Do not assume exploit availability, affected version ranges, or fixed versions without reading the vendor advisory details.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco advisory for affected and fixed DCNM releases.
- Apply Cisco-recommended updates or mitigations for your deployed version.
- Restrict DCNM management access to trusted administrative networks.
- Review DCNM administrator accounts and remove unnecessary privileges.
- Prioritize alongside Cisco’s related DCNM authentication bypass advisory.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all Cisco DCNM deployments and exposed management interfaces.
- Confirm each deployed DCNM version against Cisco’s advisory.
- Check whether REST, SOAP, or Application Framework features are enabled.
- Review logs for unusual administrative file access or API activity.
- Verify remediation status after applying Cisco guidance.
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-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. 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 lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2019-15980 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.2 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.25.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.2HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20200102 Cisco Data Center Network Manager Path Traversal VulnerabilitiesCVE 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 Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.