# CVE-2017-6688: Hardcoded credentials in Cisco Elastic Services Controller

> An authenticated attacker can exploit insecure default passwords to gain root access on Cisco Elastic Services Controllers.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 13 Jun 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-29px-fjqx-xh4f

## What is CVE-2017-6688?

CVE-2017-6688 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Elastic Services Controller, published on 13 Jun 2017. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in Cisco Elastic Services Controllers could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to log in to an affected system as the Linux root user, aka an Insecure Default Password Vulnerability. More Information: CSCvc76631. Known Affected Releases: 2.2(9.76).

Weakness: CWE-1188 (Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-6688?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Elastic Services Controller.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-6688?

No fix has been published for CVE-2017-6688 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2017-6688 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-6688 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Elastic Services Controller

- [CVE-2019-1867](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1867/): Cisco Elastic Services Controller REST API Authentication Bypass Vulnerability (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2018-0121](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0121/): Auth bypass in Cisco Elastic Services Controller (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-6713](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6713/): Hardcoded credentials in Cisco Elastic Services Controller (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-6712](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6712/): Command injection in Cisco Elastic Services Controller (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2017-6682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6682/): Command injection in Cisco Elastic Services Controller (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-6688 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-6688 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Elastic Services Controller, published on 13 Jun 2017. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-6688 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Elastic Services Controller. 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-2017-6688/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6688/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-6688
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-6688
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-6688

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6688/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.