# CVE-2012-4121: Privilege escalation in n/a

> Local attackers can escalate privileges and read or modify arbitrary files on Cisco NX-OS devices using specific sed commands.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`AV:L/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Oct 2013
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r8fm-j5xm-43cp

## What is CVE-2012-4121?

CVE-2012-4121 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Nx-Os, published on 14 Oct 2013. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Cisco NX-OS allows local users to gain privileges, and read or modify arbitrary files, via the sed (1) r and (2) w commands, aka Bug IDs CSCts56559, CSCts56565, CSCts56570, and CSCts56574.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-4121?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Nx-Os.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-4121?

No fix has been published for CVE-2012-4121 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2012-4121 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-4121 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Nx-Os

- [CVE-2024-20399](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20399/): Cisco NX-OS Command Injection (medium 6.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-1361](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1361/): Cisco NX-OS Software Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Actions Vulnerability (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-0301](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0301/): Memory corruption in Cisco NX-OS unknown (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-1453](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-1453/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-1341](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-1341/): Hardcoded credentials in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-4121 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-4121 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Nx-Os, published on 14 Oct 2013. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-4121 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Nx-Os. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-4121/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-4121/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-4121
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-4121
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-4121

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-4121/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.