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CVE-2017-12340

A vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS System Software running on Cisco MDS Multilayer Director Switches,...

4.2 Medium

A vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS System Software running on Cisco MDS Multilayer Director Switches, Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches, and Cisco Nexus 7700 Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacker to access the Bash shell of an affected device's operating system, even if the Bash shell is disabled on the system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied parameters that are passed to certain functions of the Python scripting sandbox of the affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to escape the scripting sandbox and enter the Bash shell of the operating system with the privileges of the authenticated user for the affected system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have local access to the affected system and be authenticated to the affected system with administrative or Python execution privileges. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd86513.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
High
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

Exploit likelihood

0.34%Down 0.2 points since Apr 14, 2021
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 4.2

A vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS System Software running on Cisco MDS Multilayer Director Switches, Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches, and Cisco Nexus 7700 Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacker to access the Bash shell of an affected device's operating system, even if the Bash shell is disabled on the system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied parameters that are passed to certain functions of the Python scripting sandbox of the affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to escape the scripting sandbox and enter the Bash shell of the operating system with the privileges of the authenticated user for the affected system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have local access to the affected system and be authenticated to the affected system with administrative or Python execution privileges. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd86513.

Record
CVE-2017-12340
CVSS 3.0
4.2 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
CVSS 2.0
4.6 MediumAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Weakness
CWE-284, CWE-116
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

A vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS System Software running on Cisco MDS Multilayer Director Switches, Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches, and Cisco Nexus 7700 Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacker to access the Bash shell of an affected device's operating system, even if the Bash shell is disabled on the system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied parameters that are passed to certain functions of the Python scripting sandbox of the affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to escape the scripting sandbox and enter the Bash shell of the operating system with the privileges of the authenticated user for the affected system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have local access to the affected system and be authenticated to the affected system with administrative or Python execution privileges. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd86513.

Record
CVE-2017-12340
Weakness
CWE-284
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2017-3913 No score

A vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS System Software running on Cisco MDS Multilayer Director Switches, Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches, and Cisco Nexus 7700 Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacker to access the Bash shell of an affected device's operating system, even if the Bash shell is disabled on the system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied parameters that are passed to certain functions of the Python scripting sandbox of the affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to escape the scripting sandbox and enter the Bash shell of the operating system with the privileges of the authenticated user for the affected system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have local access to the affected system and be authenticated to the affected system with administrative or Python execution privileges. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd86513.

Record
EUVD-2017-3913
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-7fgx-h5gw-66x7 4.2

A vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS System Software running on Cisco MDS Multilayer Director Switches,...

A vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS System Software running on Cisco MDS Multilayer Director Switches, Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches, and Cisco Nexus 7700 Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacker to access the Bash shell of an affected device's operating system, even if the Bash shell is disabled on the system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied parameters that are passed to certain functions of the Python scripting sandbox of the affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to escape the scripting sandbox and enter the Bash shell of the operating system with the privileges of the authenticated user for the affected system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have local access to the affected system and be authenticated to the affected system with administrative or Python execution privileges. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd86513.

Record
GHSA-7fgx-h5gw-66x7
CVSS 3.0
4.2 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
Weakness
CWE-116, CWE-284
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2017-12340 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.2) in Cisco Nx-os, published November 30, 2017. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.34%, the 27th percentile. No source names a fixed version.

References

MoveEnter Open