How severe is CVE-2019-15975?

CVE-2019-15975 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which products are affected by CVE-2019-15975?

Affected package information for CVE-2019-15975 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I patch CVE-2019-15975?

Apply the cisco data center network manager security patch or hotfix for CVE-2019-15975 on the affected version, following the vendor advisory for your exact build.

How do I detect CVE-2019-15975 across my infrastructure?

Inventory every cisco data center network manager deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for exploitation at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.

How do I mitigate CVE-2019-15975 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2019-15975?

O3 detects and blocks CVE-2019-15975 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.

Is CVE-2019-15975 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for CVE-2019-15975, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2019-15975?

CVE-2019-15975 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 96.4%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2019-15975?

CVE-2019-15975 is classified as Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2019-15975?

CVE-2019-15975 affects cisco data center network manager. Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2019-15975?

A Metasploit module references CVE-2019-15975, which lowers the barrier to weaponization. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2019-15975 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2019-15975 was published on January 6, 2020 and was last updated on June 17, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CVE-2019-15975

CRITICAL

Multiple vulnerabilities in the authentication mechanisms of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute…

Published

Jan 6, 2020

Updated

Jun 17, 2026

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

3 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

96.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk100th percentile+10.74%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

Description

Multiple vulnerabilities in the authentication mechanisms of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary actions with administrative privileges on an affected device. For more information about these vulnerabilities, see the Details section of this advisory.

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

data center network managercisco

< 11.3\(1\)

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-48018webappsjava✓ Verified

Cisco Data Center Network Manager 11.2 - Remote Code Execution

by mr_me · Feb 6, 2020

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Vendor / appliance

Detect
Inventory every cisco data center network manager deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for exploitation at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.
Fix
Apply the cisco data center network manager security patch or hotfix for CVE-2019-15975 on the affected version, following the vendor advisory for your exact build.
Workarounds
Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.
How O3 protects you
O3 detects and blocks CVE-2019-15975 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.

Tailored to CVE-2019-15975. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Runtime Protection

Is CVE-2019-15975 being exploited in your environment?

O3's eBPF runtime sensors and L7 egress monitoring detect and block the CVE-2019-15975 exploit chain at execution — protecting unpatched and end-of-life systems until the vendor patch is applied.

Protect my workloads How runtime protection works