Unverified software loading via insecure bootloader settings
Published Dec 4, 2024 · Updated Apr 8, 2025
Improper access control in Cisco NX-OS Software bootloaders allows attackers to bypass image verification and load unverified software. Insecure bootloader settings accept a sequence of bootloader commands that defeats the signature-verification boundary for NX-OS images. Exploitation requires unauthenticated physical device access or local administrative credentials, and successful use replaces trusted code with attacker-selected software.
Summary
What happened
Improper access control in Cisco NX-OS Software bootloaders allows attackers to bypass image verification and load unverified software. Insecure bootloader settings accept a sequence of bootloader commands that defeats the signature-verification boundary for NX-OS images. Exploitation requires unauthenticated physical device access or local administrative credentials, and successful use replaces trusted code with attacker-selected software.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-20397
- Published
- Dec 4, 2024
- Updated
- Apr 8, 2025
- Vendor
- ClamAV
- Product
- Cisco Unified Computing System (Managed)
- Classifications
- CWE-284, T1542.003
- Attack vector
- physical
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 4, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 8, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=4.0(1a)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(1b)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(1c)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(1d)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(2a)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(2b)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(2d)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(2e)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4a)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4b)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4c)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4d)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4e)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4f)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4g)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4h)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4i)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4k)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4l)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4m)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4n)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(4o)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(1a)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(1b)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(1c)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(1d)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(1e)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(2a)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(2b)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(2c)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3a)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3b)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3c)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3d)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3e)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3f)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3h)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3i)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3j)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3k)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3l)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(3m)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(4a)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(1c)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(1d)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(1f)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(1i)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(1k)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(1l)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(1m)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(1n)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(2a)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(2c)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(2d)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(2e)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(3b)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(3d)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(3e)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(3g)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(3h)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(3i)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(3j)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(3k)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(3l)
- Affected versionversion=4.2(3m)
- Affected versionversion=4.3(2b)
- Affected versionversion=4.3(2c)
- Affected versionversion=4.3(2e)
- Affected versionversion=4.3(2f)
- Affected versionversion=4.3(3a)
- Affected versionversion=4.3(3c)
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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