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Telepresence E20 SoftwareApplication · Cisco

CVE-2011-4659

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-01-19
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Cisco TelePresence Software before TE 4.1.1 on the Cisco IP Video Phone E20 has a default password for the root account after an upgrade to TE 4.1.0, which makes it easier for remote attackers to modify the configuration via an SSH session, aka Bug ID CSCtw69889, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-2555.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Cisco TelePresence Software TE versions before 4.1.0 on the Cisco IP Video Phone E20 retains a default password for the root account following an upgrade to TE 4.1.0, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to gain root access via SSH and modify system configuration.

MitigationUpgrade to TE 4.1.1 or later which addresses the default credential issue, and immediately change the default root password on any affected systems.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Telepresence E20 SoftwareApplication
Affected:<= te4.1.1-cucm= te2.2= te2.2.1= te4.0.0= te4.1.0= te4.1.1= tenc4.0.0= tenc4.1.0= tenc4.1.1= tenc4.1.1-cucm
Ip Video Phone E20Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the device model
    Run 'show version' or check the system GUI to confirm the device is a Cisco TelePresence E20 or Cisco IP Video Phone E20
    Affected if Device is a Cisco E20 series phone/endpoint
  2. Check installed TE software version
    Run 'show version' or access the admin interface to display the current TelePresence Expressway (TE) software version
    Affected if Version matches any of: te2.2, te2.2.1, te4.0.0, te4.1.0, te4.1.1, te4.1.1-cucm, tenc4.0.0, tenc4.1.0, tenc4.1.1, tenc4.1.1-cucm, or any version earlier than 4.1.0
  3. Verify SSH service status
    Run 'show service' or check the system configuration to confirm if the SSH service is enabled on the device
    Affected if SSH is enabled and accessible on the device
  4. Test root account default credentials
    Attempt SSH login to the device using root username with the known default password for TE 4.1.0 installations
    Affected if Login succeeds with default root password, indicating the vulnerability is present

A Cisco E20 device is affected if it runs any TE version listed as vulnerable and has SSH enabled with the default root password still in place.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to TE 4.1.1 or later which addresses the default credential issue, and immediately change the default root password on any affected systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

TE 4.1.1 or later (TE 4.1.1-cucm and subsequent releases)

  1. 1. Identify all affected Cisco TelePresence E20 and IP Video Phone E20 devices on the network
  2. 2. Access the device administration interface or console
  3. 3. Navigate to the software update or system upgrade section
  4. 4. Obtain the TE 4.1.1 or later firmware from Cisco's official software download portal
  5. 5. Upload the TE 4.1.1 (or newer) firmware image to each affected device
  6. 6. Initiate the upgrade process and allow the device to reboot
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the software version shows TE 4.1.1 or higher
  8. 8. Confirm the default root password vulnerability is resolved by testing SSH access

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Telepresence E20 Software Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-4659 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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