# CVE-2024-20449: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

> Authenticated attackers can exploit path traversal via SCP to execute arbitrary code with root privileges on Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller devices.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/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:** 2 Oct 2024
- **Updated:** 2 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xmpq-x22f-7jg3

## What is CVE-2024-20449?

CVE-2024-20449 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Data Center Network Manager, published on 2 Oct 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with low privileges to execute arbitrary code on an affected device.

This vulnerability is due to improper path validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using the Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) to upload malicious code to an affected device using path traversal techniques. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code in a specific container with the privileges of root.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory), CWE-23 (Relative Path Traversal)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-20449?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-20449?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-20449 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-20449 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-20449 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Data Center Network Manager

- [CVE-2024-20432](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20432/): Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller Web UI Command Injection Vulnerability (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2024-20536](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20536/): Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller SQL Injection Vulnerability (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2024-20348](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20348/): Path traversal in Cisco Data Center Network Manager (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2024-20448](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20448/): Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller Credential Information Disclosure Vulnerability (medium 6.3)
- [CVE-2024-20490](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20490/): Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator Information Disclosure Vulnerability (medium 6.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-20449 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-20449 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Data Center Network Manager, published on 2 Oct 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-20449 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Data Center Network Manager. 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-2024-20449/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20449/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-20449
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-20449
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-20449

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20449/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.