NVD CVE Vulnerability Search
Installer note: native registration and the documented MCP_CALL invocation share the installed component launcher. Check readiness.json before first use; failed discovery is not device state. Existing write approvals still apply.
Available Tools
1. get_cve — Look Up a Specific CVE by ID
NVD_API_KEY=$NVD_API_KEY python3 $MCP_CALL "python3 -u $NVD_MCP_SCRIPT" get_cve '{"cve_id":"CVE-2023-20198"}'
Parameters:
- cve_id (required): The CVE identifier, e.g., CVE-2023-20198
- concise (optional, default false): Set true for brief output (ID, description, CVSS score only)
Returns: Full CVE details including:
- CVSS v3.1 and v2.0 scores, severity, vector string
- Exploitability and impact scores
- CWE weakness identifiers
- References with tags (Vendor Advisory, Patch, Exploit, etc.)
- Affected configurations (CPE entries)
2. search_cve — Search CVEs by Keyword
NVD_API_KEY=$NVD_API_KEY python3 $MCP_CALL "python3 -u $NVD_MCP_SCRIPT" search_cve '{"keyword":"Cisco IOS XE 17.9"}'
Parameters:
- keyword (required): Search term, e.g., "Cisco IOS XE", "NX-OS 10.2", "OpenSSL 3.0"
- exact_match (optional, default false): Require exact keyword match
- concise (optional, default false): Brief output per CVE
- results (optional, default 10): Number of results to return (max 2000)
Returns: List of matching CVEs with full details, plus total count.
When to Use
- Post-health-check vulnerability scan: After
show versionreveals the IOS-XE/NX-OS version, search NVD for known CVEs - Security audit enrichment: Cross-reference running config features (HTTP server, SNMP, SSH) against CVEs
- Incident response: Look up specific CVE IDs mentioned in advisories
- Compliance reporting: Document known vulnerabilities and remediation status
- Upgrade planning: Compare CVE exposure between current and target versions
Vulnerability Audit Workflow
Step 1: Extract Software Version
From a device health check, extract the software version (e.g., IOS-XE 17.9.4a).
Step 2: Search NVD for Version-Specific CVEs
NVD_API_KEY=$NVD_API_KEY python3 $MCP_CALL "python3 -u $NVD_MCP_SCRIPT" search_cve '{"keyword":"Cisco IOS XE 17.9.4","results":20}'
Step 3: Get Details for Critical/High CVEs
For each CVE with CVSS >= 7.0, pull full details:
NVD_API_KEY=$NVD_API_KEY python3 $MCP_CALL "python3 -u $NVD_MCP_SCRIPT" get_cve '{"cve_id":"CVE-2023-20198"}'
Step 4: Exposure Correlation
Cross-reference CVE requirements against the device running config:
| CVE | Requires | Running Config | Exposed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-20198 | HTTP/HTTPS server enabled | ip http server present |
YES |
| CVE-2023-20273 | Web UI accessible | ip http secure-server + no ACL |
YES |
| CVE-2024-XXXXX | OSPF enabled | router ospf 1 present |
YES |
Step 5: Produce Vulnerability Report
Vulnerability Audit — YYYY-MM-DD
Device: R1 | IOS-XE 17.9.4a
CRITICAL (CVSS >= 9.0):
CVE-2023-20198 (CVSS 10.0) — IOS-XE Web UI privilege escalation
Exposure: CONFIRMED — ip http server enabled
Remediation: Upgrade to 17.9.4a+ or disable ip http server
HIGH (CVSS >= 7.0):
CVE-2023-20273 (CVSS 7.2) — Web UI command injection
Exposure: CONFIRMED — ip http secure-server, no ACL
Remediation: Apply access-class to HTTP server or upgrade
MEDIUM (CVSS >= 4.0):
[none found]
Summary: 2 CRITICAL (2 exposed), 0 HIGH, 0 MEDIUM
Step 6: Search by Feature Keywords
When auditing specific features, search for feature-specific CVEs:
# SNMP vulnerabilities
NVD_API_KEY=$NVD_API_KEY python3 $MCP_CALL "python3 -u $NVD_MCP_SCRIPT" search_cve '{"keyword":"Cisco SNMP remote code execution","results":10}'
# BGP vulnerabilities
NVD_API_KEY=$NVD_API_KEY python3 $MCP_CALL "python3 -u $NVD_MCP_SCRIPT" search_cve '{"keyword":"Cisco BGP denial of service","results":10}'
# SSH vulnerabilities
NVD_API_KEY=$NVD_API_KEY python3 $MCP_CALL "python3 -u $NVD_MCP_SCRIPT" search_cve '{"keyword":"Cisco IOS SSH vulnerability","results":10}'
CVSS Severity Mapping
| CVSS Score | Severity | Action Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| 9.0 - 10.0 | CRITICAL | Immediate remediation required |
| 7.0 - 8.9 | HIGH | Remediate within 1 change window |
| 4.0 - 6.9 | MEDIUM | Remediate in next maintenance window |
| 0.1 - 3.9 | LOW | Document and track |
Fleet-Wide Vulnerability Scan
Run version discovery across all devices, then batch-search NVD for each unique version:
# Step 1: Get version from each device
PYATS_TESTBED_PATH=$PYATS_TESTBED_PATH python3 $MCP_CALL "${PYATS_PYTHON:-python3} -u $PYATS_MCP_SCRIPT" pyats_run_show_command '{"device_name":"R1","command":"show version"}'
# Step 2: Search NVD for each unique version found
NVD_API_KEY=$NVD_API_KEY python3 $MCP_CALL "python3 -u $NVD_MCP_SCRIPT" search_cve '{"keyword":"Cisco IOS XE 17.9.4","results":20,"concise":true}'
Produce a fleet vulnerability matrix:
┌──────────┬───────────────────┬──────────┬──────┬──────┬────────┐
│ Device │ Software Version │ CRITICAL │ HIGH │ MED │ Action │
├──────────┼───────────────────┼──────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┤
│ R1 │ IOS-XE 17.9.4a │ 2 │ 3 │ 5 │ URGENT │
│ R2 │ IOS-XE 17.12.1 │ 0 │ 1 │ 2 │ PLAN │
│ SW1 │ IOS-XE 16.12.4 │ 5 │ 8 │ 12 │ URGENT │
└──────────┴───────────────────┴──────────┴──────┴──────┴────────┘
GAIT Audit Trail
Record vulnerability scans in GAIT:
python3 $MCP_CALL "python3 -u $GAIT_MCP_SCRIPT" gait_record_turn '{"user_text":"Example only: replace with the actual authorized request.","assistant_text":"NVD vulnerability scan on R1 (IOS-XE 17.9.4a): 2 CRITICAL (CVE-2023-20198, CVE-2023-20273), 3 HIGH, 5 MEDIUM. Both CRITICAL CVEs confirmed exposed via running config analysis.","artifacts":[]}'
Failure Behavior
- If a tool call fails with an authentication or connection error, check that
GAIT_MCP_SCRIPT,MCP_CALL,NVD_API_KEY,NVD_MCP_SCRIPT,PYATS_MCP_SCRIPTare set and valid before assuming a data or device problem. - On a tool error (timeout, unreachable host, malformed response), report the failure and its error message directly to the user rather than fabricating or guessing at results.
- For a confirmed read-only call, check connectivity and retry once if appropriate. For any call that changes state or sends a message, a timeout does not prove the action failed: inspect current state or delivery status before retrying, preserve the required approval/change gates, and do not repeat an action whose outcome is unknown.
Audit examples are illustrative. Replace request, outcomes, identifiers and counts
with observed session evidence; do not record these example results as facts.
Inspect MCP isError, returned ok, and the recorded turn with gait_show when
validating a new client/schema. Follow gait-session-tracking for branch checkout.
