# CVE-2024-20413: Cisco NX-OS Bash Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

> An authenticated local attacker with Bash access can execute crafted commands to elevate privileges to network-admin on Cisco NX-OS devices.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Aug 2024
- **Updated:** 30 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-pf8v-w5wh-93wr

## What is CVE-2024-20413?

CVE-2024-20413 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS Software, published on 28 Aug 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with privileges to access the Bash shell to elevate privileges to network-admin on an affected device.

This vulnerability is due to insufficient security restrictions when executing application arguments from the Bash shell. An attacker with privileges to access the Bash shell could exploit this vulnerability by executing crafted commands on the underlying operating system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to create new users with the privileges of network-admin.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-20413?


## How do I fix CVE-2024-20413?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-20413 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-20413 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-20413 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-20413 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-20413 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS Software, published on 28 Aug 2024. 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-2024-20413 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco NX-OS Software. 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-2024-20413/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20413/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-20413
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-20413
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-20413

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20413/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.