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CVE Record

CVE-2024-20399: Cisco NX-OS Software CLI Command Injection Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated user in possession of Administrator credentials to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of arguments that are passed to specific configuration CLI commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by including crafted input as the argument of an affected configuration CLI command. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system with the privileges of root. Note: To successfully exploit this vulnerability on a Cisco NX-OS device, an attacker must have Administrator credentials. The following Cisco devices already allow administrative users to access the underlying operating system through the bash-shell feature, so, for these devices, this vulnerability does not grant any additional privileges: Nexus 3000 Series Switches Nexus 7000 Series Switches that are running Cisco NX-OS Software releases 8.1(1) and later Nexus 9000 Series Switches in standalone NX-OS mode

MediumCVSS 6Known exploitedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2024-20399 lets someone who already has Cisco NX-OS Administrator credentials run operating-system commands as root through certain CLI configuration commands. The technical severity is medium because it requires high privileges, but CISA KEV listing means it has been exploited in the wild and should be treated as urgent.

Executive priority

Treat as high priority despite the medium CVSS score. The prerequisite is Administrator access, but successful exploitation gives root command execution on core network infrastructure, and CISA KEV confirms real-world exploitation.

Technical view

Cisco describes a CLI command-injection flaw in NX-OS caused by insufficient argument validation for specific configuration commands. Exploitation requires authenticated Administrator access and can execute arbitrary commands as root. Some Nexus platforms already allow admin shell access, so Cisco notes the flaw may not add privileges there.

Likely exposure

Organizations running Cisco NX-OS on affected Nexus devices are exposed when attackers can obtain Administrator credentials or access admin sessions. Exposure is concentrated in management-plane access, privileged AAA accounts, and devices running affected releases listed by Cisco.

Exploitation context

Active exploitation is supported by CISA KEV and Sygnia reporting on Velvet Ant exploitation of a Cisco zero-day. Public evidence in the bundle does not provide exploit mechanics, affected customer counts, or whether exploitation is widespread.

Researcher notes

Key constraints are local attack vector, low complexity, high privileges required, no user interaction, and high confidentiality and integrity impact. The bundle does not include fixed-version details, so validation should rely on Cisco's advisory rather than inferred version thresholds.

Mitigation direction

  • Check Cisco's advisory for fixed NX-OS releases and upgrade guidance.
  • Prioritize KEV-driven remediation for internet-adjacent or critical network devices.
  • Restrict NX-OS administrative access to trusted management networks only.
  • Review and harden Administrator credential storage, MFA, and AAA controls.
  • Hunt for unusual administrator CLI activity and root-level changes.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Cisco NX-OS devices and record exact software releases.
  • Compare each release and platform against Cisco's advisory.
  • Confirm whether exposed devices require Administrator access for management.
  • Review AAA, TACACS, RADIUS, and device logs for suspicious admin activity.
  • Verify post-remediation versions against Cisco's fixed-release guidance.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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 · medium confidence lookup

CWE-78: Command execution behavior lookup

Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter 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.

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description · low confidence lookup

Execution 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.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2024-20399 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
6 (3.1)
Known Exploited
Yes
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Official CVE source material

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.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

CISA KEV status

Status
Known exploited
Source
CISA / ADP
Date added
Not provided

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We 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.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
6CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N0.85.2Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

6Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2024-20399Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
CiscoCisco NX-OS Software8.2(5), 7.3(6)N1(1a), 7.3(5)D1(1), 8.4(2), 7.3(6)N1(1), 6.2(2), 8.4(3), 9.2(3), 7.0(3)I5(2), 8.2(1), 6.0(2)A8(7a), 7.0(3)I4(5), 6.0(2)A6(1), 7.3(1)D1(1), 6.2(14a), 7.0(3)I4(6), 7.3(4)N1(1), 7.0(3)I4(3), 9.2(2v), 6.0(2)A6(5b), 7.3(0)D1(1), 6.2(17a), 7.0(3)I4(7), 6.0(2)U6(1a), 7.1(5)N1(1b), 7.0(3)I4(1), 7.0(3)I4(8), 7.0(3)I4(2), 7.1(4)N1(1c), 7.0(3)IM3(1), 6.0(2)U6(5a), 6.0(2)A8(11), 6.0(2)A6(4a), 6.2(9), 6.2(5), 7.3(4)D1(1), 6.2(20), 9.2(1), 9.2(2t), 9.2(3y), 7.0(3)I4(1t), 6.0(2)U6(5c), 6.0(2)A6(4), 7.0(3)I7(6z), 9.3(2), 7.3(1)DY(1), 7.0(3)F3(3), 6.0(2)U6(6), 6.2(29), 7.0(3)I7(3z), 7.0(3)IM7(2), 6.0(2)A8(11b), 6.2(9a), 7.3(0)N1(1), 7.0(3)I7(5a), 6.2(11d), 8.1(1), 7.0(3)I6(1), 6.0(2)U6(10), 7.2(2)D1(2), 7.0(3)IM3(2), 6.0(2)A6(8), 8.2(2), 6.0(2)U6(1), 7.3(2)N1(1c), 7.0(3)I5(3b), 8.3(2), 7.3(5)N1(1), 6.0(2)A6(2a), 7.3(2)N1(1b), 6.2(27), 7.3(2)D1(3a), 7.3(1)N1(1), 6.0(2)U6(7), 9.2(4), 7.1(4)N1(1a), 7.1(3)N1(4), 7.0(3)IM3(2a), 6.2(8b), 6.0(2)A8(10), 7.1(3)N1(2), 6.2(13), 6.0(2)A8(2), 7.0(3)IC4(4), 6.2(1), 7.3(4)N1(1a), 8.1(2), 6.0(2)A6(3), 6.0(2)U6(5b), 7.0(3)F3(3c), 7.3(3)D1(1), 7.0(3)F3(1), 6.0(2)U6(5), 7.0(3)F3(5), 7.1(2)N1(1), 7.1(3)N1(3), 8.2(3), 6.0(2)A6(7), 7.0(3)I7(2), 6.2(5a), 6.2(18), 6.0(2)A6(5), 7.0(3)IM3(2b), 7.1(3)N1(1), 6.0(2)U6(4a), 7.0(3)I5(3), 7.0(3)I7(3), 6.0(2)A8(6), 7.0(3)I6(2), 8.3(1), 6.2(3), 6.2(22), 7.1(1)N1(1), 8.4(1), 8.1(1b), 7.3(0)N1(1b), 7.2(2)D1(4), 6.0(2)A8(5), 7.3(0)DX(1), 7.1(4)N1(1d), 7.3(2)D1(1), 7.3(2)N1(1), 6.0(2)U6(8), 7.1(1)N1(1a), 7.0(3)IM3(3), 9.3(1), 6.0(2)U6(2), 6.2(9b), 7.1(3)N1(2a), 7.3(0)N1(1a), 6.0(2)A8(7), 7.0(3)I7(6), 7.3(2)D1(2), 6.2(25), 6.0(2)U6(3a), 8.0(1), 6.0(2)A8(11a), 6.2(11e), 7.1(3)N1(5), 7.0(3)I4(8z), 6.2(11), 7.0(3)I4(9), 6.2(16), 6.2(19), 8.2(4), 6.2(2a), 7.2(2)D1(3), 7.1(0)N1(1b), 7.0(3)I7(4), 7.0(3)I7(7), 6.2(5b), 7.3(0)DY(1), 6.0(2)A8(9), 6.0(2)A8(1), 7.1(5)N1(1), 7.2(1)D1(1), 6.2(15), 6.0(2)A6(6), 6.0(2)A8(10a), 7.0(3)I5(1), 9.3(1z), 9.2(2), 6.2(7), 6.2(9c), 7.0(3)F3(4), 7.3(3)N1(1), 6.2(6b), 7.0(3)I4(8b), 8.1(2a), 7.3(2)D1(3), 6.2(8), 6.0(2)A8(3), 6.2(11b), 7.0(3)I4(6t), 7.0(3)I5(3a), 8.1(1a), 6.2(13a), 6.0(2)A8(8), 7.0(3)I7(5), 7.0(3)F3(3a), 7.1(0)N1(1a), 6.0(2)A8(4), 6.0(2)A6(3a), 6.0(2)A6(5a), 7.0(3)F2(1), 7.0(3)I4(8a), 6.0(2)U6(9), 7.0(3)F3(2), 6.0(2)U6(2a), 6.2(12), 6.2(17), 7.0(3)I4(4), 6.2(23), 6.2(13b), 6.0(2)U6(3), 6.2(10), 6.2(6a), 6.2(6), 7.1(2)N1(1a), 6.2(14), 7.0(3)I7(1), 6.2(14b), 6.2(21), 7.2(2)D1(1), 7.0(3)F2(2), 7.0(3)IA7(2), 7.0(3)IA7(1), 6.0(2)A8(7b), 6.2(8a), 6.2(11c), 7.0(3)F1(1), 6.0(2)A6(1a), 7.1(0)N1(1), 7.2(0)D1(1), 6.0(2)A6(2), 7.1(4)N1(1), 6.0(2)A8(4a), 6.2(20a), 6.0(2)U6(4), 8.4(1a), 9.3(3), 7.3(2)D1(1d), 7.3(7)N1(1), 6.2(24), 6.2(31), 7.0(3)I7(8), 6.0(2)U6(10a), 7.3(7)N1(1a), 9.3(4), 7.3(6)D1(1), 6.2(26), 8.2(6), 6.2(33), 9.3(5), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 7.3(8)N1(1), 7.0(3)I7(9), 7.3(7)N1(1b), 6.2(24a), 8.5(1), 9.3(6), 10.1(2), 10.1(1), 8.4(4), 7.3(7)D1(1), 8.4(2c), 9.3(5w), 8.2(7), 7.3(9)N1(1), 9.3(7), 9.3(7k), 7.0(3)I7(9w), 10.2(1), 7.3(8)N1(1a), 7.3(8)D1(1), 9.3(7a), 8.2(7a), 9.3(8), 8.4(4a), 8.4(2d), 7.3(10)N1(1), 8.4(5), 7.0(3)I7(10), 7.3(8)N1(1b), 8.2(8), 10.2(1q), 10.2(2), 9.3(9), 7.3(9)D1(1), 7.3(11)N1(1), 10.2(3), 8.4(6), 8.4(2e), 9.3(10), 7.3(11)N1(1a), 10.2(2a), 7.3(12)N1(1), 9.2(1a), 8.2(9), 10.3(1), 10.2(4), 7.3(13)N1(1), 8.4(7), 10.3(2), 8.4(6a), 9.3(11), 10.3(3), 10.2(5), 9.4(1), 9.3(2a), 8.4(2f), 8.2(10), 9.3(12), 10.4(1), 8.4(8), 10.3(99w), 7.3(14)N1(1), 10.2(6), 10.3(3w), 10.3(99x), 10.3(3o), 8.4(9), 10.3(4), 10.3(3p), 10.3(4a), 9.4(1a), 10.4(2), 10.3(3q), 9.3(13), 8.2(11), 9.4(2), 10.3(5), 10.2(7), 10.3(3x), 10.3(4g), 10.2(8), 10.3(3r)unknown
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-78

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-78 · source CWE mapping

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

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