A vulnerability in the Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) software, formerly Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM), could allow an attacker with access to a backup file to view sensitive information.
This vulnerability is due to the improper storage of sensitive information within config only and full backup files. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by parsing the contents of a backup file that is generated from an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access sensitive information, including NDFC-connected device credentials, the NDFC site manager private key, and the scheduled backup file encryption key.
The product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nexus_dashboard_fabric_controller | Cisco | * | 12.2.2 (excluding) |
Because the information is stored in cleartext (i.e., unencrypted), attackers could potentially read it. Even if the information is encoded in a way that is not human-readable, certain techniques could determine which encoding is being used, then decode the information. When organizations adopt cloud services, it can be easier for attackers to access the data from anywhere on the Internet. In some systems/environments such as cloud, the use of “double encryption” (at both the software and hardware layer) might be required, and the developer might be solely responsible for both layers, instead of shared responsibility with the administrator of the broader system/environment.