Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets a logged-in read-only Cisco IMC user make critical configuration changes with administrator-level effect. It does not appear to be remotely exploitable without credentials, but it weakens trust in delegated management access for affected Cisco UCS E-Series environments.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority infrastructure management risk. Prioritize systems where many users have IMC access, management interfaces are widely reachable, or configuration integrity is operationally critical.
Technical view
CVE-2019-1863 is an insufficient authorization issue in Cisco Integrated Management Controller web management. A remote authenticated attacker with low privileges could send crafted HTTP requests and change critical system configuration with administrator privileges. The CVSS 3.0 score is 6.5 with high integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Cisco Unified Computing System E-Series Software using affected IMC Software. Risk is highest where the IMC web interface is reachable by many users or from broader internal networks.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not state active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked as CISA KEV. Exploitation requires authenticated access with low privileges, reducing broad internet-scale risk but increasing insider or compromised-account concern.
Researcher notes
The evidence supports CWE-285 authorization bypass semantics with network access, low privileges, no user interaction, and high integrity impact. The bundle does not provide exact affected versions, patch versions, workaround details, or proof of exploitation.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco advisory for affected releases, fixed software, and any stated workarounds.
- Upgrade affected Cisco IMC Software only according to Cisco's published guidance.
- Restrict IMC web management access to trusted management networks and administrators.
- Reduce unnecessary read-only IMC accounts and review their necessity.
- Monitor configuration changes on affected systems for unexpected privileged modifications.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cisco UCS E-Series systems using Cisco IMC Software.
- Compare installed IMC versions against Cisco advisory applicability.
- Confirm the IMC web interface is not broadly reachable.
- Review read-only IMC accounts and recent authentication activity.
- Check configuration audit records for unexpected privileged changes.
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-285: 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 lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2019-1863 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
- 6.5 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N2.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20190821 Cisco Integrated Management Controller Privilege Escalation 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 Authorization
Improper Authorization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.