CVE-2017-6639

What is this vulnerability?

CVE-2017-6639 is categorized as a critical CWE-16 flaw with a CVSS base score of 9.8. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.

A vulnerability in the role-based access control (RBAC) functionality of Cisco Prime Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access sensitive information or execute arbitrary code with root privileges on an affected system. The vulnerability is due to the lack of authentication and authorization mechanisms for a debugging tool that was inadvertently enabled in the affected software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by remotely connecting to the debugging tool via TCP. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access sensitive information about the affected software or execute arbitrary code with root privileges on the affected system. This vulnerability affects Cisco Prime Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) Software Releases 10.1(1) and 10.1(2) for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Virtual Appliance platforms. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvd09961.

This architectural defect enables adversaries to bypass intended security controls, directly manipulating the application's execution state or data layer. Immediate strategic intervention is required.

Risk Assessment

Impact on Systems

✅ Data Exfiltration: Attackers can extract sensitive data from backend databases, configuration files, or internal services.

✅ Authentication Bypass: Exploiting this flaw may allow unauthorized access to protected resources and administrative interfaces.

✅ Lateral Movement: Once initial access is gained, attackers can pivot to internal systems and escalate privileges.

How to Fix and Mitigate CVE-2017-6639

1. Apply Vendor Patches: Upgrade affected components to their latest, non-vulnerable versions immediately.
2. Implement Input Validation: Ensure all user-supplied data is validated, sanitized, and type-checked before processing.
3. Deploy Runtime Protection: Use Precogs continuous monitoring to detect exploitation attempts in real time.
4. Audit Dependencies: Review and update all third-party libraries and transitive dependencies.

Defending with Precogs AI

Cisco Prime DCNM contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. Unauthenticated remote attackers exploit a logic flaw to access administrative endpoints and bypass Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). Precogs API Security Engine comprehensively audits session boundaries and authorization logic.

Use Precogs to continuously scan your codebase, binaries, APIs, and infrastructure for this vulnerability class and related attack patterns. Our AI-powered detection engine combines static analysis with threat intelligence to identify exploitable weaknesses before attackers do.

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Vulnerability Code Signature

Attack Data Flow

Vulnerable Code Pattern

# ❌ VULNERABLE: Unsanitized Input Flow
def process_request(request):
    user_input = request.GET.get('data')
    # Taint sink: processing untrusted data
    execute_logic(user_input)
    return {"status": "success"}

Secure Code Pattern

# ✅ SECURE: Input Validation & Sanitization
def process_request(request):
    user_input = request.GET.get('data')
    
    # Sanitized boundary check
    if not is_valid_format(user_input):
        raise ValueError("Invalid input format")
        
    sanitized_data = sanitize(user_input)
    execute_logic(sanitized_data)
    return {"status": "success"}

How Precogs Detects This

Precogs AI Analysis Engine maps untrusted input directly to execution sinks to catch complex application security vulnerabilities.\n