CVE-2024-20281: Cisco Nexus Dashboard CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2024-20281 Overview

CVE-2024-20281 is a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Nexus Dashboard and Cisco Nexus Dashboard hosted services. An unauthenticated, remote attacker can exploit the flaw by persuading an authenticated user to click a malicious link. A successful exploit allows the attacker to perform arbitrary actions at the privilege level of the targeted user. When the victim holds administrative privileges, the attacker can modify the system configuration and create new privileged accounts. Cisco notes that internal security mechanisms limit the scope of exploitation, which reduces the Security Impact Rating.

Critical Impact
Successful CSRF exploitation against an administrator session can lead to configuration changes and the creation of new privileged accounts on Cisco Nexus Dashboard.

Affected Products

Cisco Nexus Dashboard
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Insights
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator

Discovery Timeline

2024-04-03 - CVE-2024-20281 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in the NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-20281

Vulnerability Analysis

The flaw is a Cross-Site Request Forgery weakness tracked as [CWE-352]. It affects the web-based management interface used to administer Cisco Nexus Dashboard and its hosted services, including the Fabric Controller, Insights, and Orchestrator. The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction, with no prior authentication on the attacker side. The targeted user must already hold an active, authenticated session on the affected interface. Cisco indicates that internal controls constrain which actions an attacker can trigger through this vector.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient CSRF protection on state-changing requests in the web-based management interface. The interface does not adequately validate that authenticated requests originated from a legitimate, user-initiated workflow. Without a properly enforced anti-CSRF token or equivalent same-origin verification, the browser of an authenticated administrator will submit attacker-supplied requests using the victim's session cookies.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires social engineering. An attacker hosts a malicious page or sends a crafted link to a user with an active session on the Nexus Dashboard management interface. When the user visits the page, the browser issues forged HTTP requests to the dashboard with the victim's credentials and cookies attached. The dashboard processes these requests as legitimate administrative actions. If the targeted account has administrative rights, the attacker can alter system configuration and provision new privileged users, establishing persistence on the appliance.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. Refer to the Cisco Security Advisory for vendor-confirmed technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-20281

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected creation of new administrative or local user accounts on Nexus Dashboard or its hosted services.
Configuration changes that do not correlate with a known change-management ticket or authorized administrator activity.
HTTP requests to the management interface bearing Referer or Origin headers from external, untrusted domains.
Administrative actions recorded in audit logs immediately following web browsing activity by an admin user.

Detection Strategies

Correlate Nexus Dashboard audit logs with administrator workstation web proxy and browser telemetry to identify cross-origin request patterns.
Alert on creation of privileged accounts and role assignments performed outside approved change windows.
Inspect HTTP request logs for state-changing methods (POST, PUT, DELETE) with missing or mismatched Origin and Referer headers.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward Nexus Dashboard audit and access logs to a centralized SIEM for retention and correlation across identity and endpoint telemetry.
Baseline normal administrator activity on the management interface and alert on deviations, such as out-of-hours configuration changes.
Monitor for phishing emails that target network operations staff with links referencing internal management URLs.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-20281

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the fixed software releases listed in the Cisco Security Advisory to all affected Nexus Dashboard and hosted-service instances.
Restrict access to the web-based management interface to dedicated management networks and jump hosts.
Require administrators to use isolated browser profiles or dedicated management workstations that do not browse the public internet.
Review audit logs for unauthorized account creation or configuration changes performed prior to patching.

Patch Information

Cisco has published fixed software releases for the affected products. See the Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-ndfccsrf-TEmZEfJ9 for fixed-release mappings for Cisco Nexus Dashboard, Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller, Nexus Dashboard Insights, and Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator.

Workarounds

Cisco has not published a documented workaround; upgrading to a fixed release is the supported remediation.
Reduce exposure by enforcing short administrative session timeouts and requiring re-authentication for sensitive actions.
Use network access control lists to limit which source addresses can reach the management interface.
Train administrators to log out of the management interface before browsing other web content and to treat unsolicited links with suspicion.

bash

# Example: restrict management interface access at a network ACL
# Replace <mgmt_subnet> and <dashboard_ip> with site-specific values
access-list NEXUS-MGMT permit tcp <mgmt_subnet> host <dashboard_ip> eq 443
access-list NEXUS-MGMT deny   tcp any host <dashboard_ip> eq 443
access-list NEXUS-MGMT permit ip any any