Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2019-1966 lets someone with valid local credentials on a Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect potentially become root. This is a management-plane issue, so impact can be serious, but it is not described as remotely exploitable without authentication.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for UCS environments where Fabric Interconnects manage critical server infrastructure. This is not presented as unauthenticated or internet-scale, but root compromise of the management plane can create major operational and security consequences.
Technical view
The flaw is in a specific CLI command inside the Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect local-mgmt context. Extraneous subcommand options can allow an authenticated local attacker with valid device credentials to execute arbitrary operating system commands as root. CVSS v3.0 is 7.8 with local access, low complexity, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in environments running Cisco Unified Computing System Fabric Interconnect Software where users can authenticate to the device and access the local-mgmt context. The source bundle does not provide exact affected versions, so release validation must come from Cisco guidance.
Exploitation context
The source bundle and KEV status do not show active exploitation. Exploitation requires valid device credentials and local authenticated access, then abuse of the vulnerable CLI behavior. Treat insider, stolen-admin-credential, and jump-host compromise scenarios as the main risk contexts.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Cisco advisory reference in the provided bundle. Affected versions and fixed releases are not included here. Do not assume broader Cisco products are affected without Cisco confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Check Cisco’s advisory for affected and fixed software releases.
- Upgrade or remediate according to Cisco’s published guidance.
- Restrict UCS Fabric Interconnect CLI access to trusted administrators.
- Review and remove unnecessary local device credentials.
- Monitor management-plane authentication and local-mgmt activity.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect devices and software versions.
- Compare installed releases with Cisco’s advisory.
- Identify users allowed to access the local-mgmt context.
- Review logs for unusual authenticated management activity.
- Confirm remediation through version checks, not exploit attempts.
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
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CWE-264: Exact CWE lookup
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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-2019-1966 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
- 7.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20190828 Cisco Unified Computing System Fabric Interconnect root 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.
Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls
Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.