dbcve.org
Video Surveillance ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2013-3431

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-07-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 6.3.3 or later.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
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 Video Surveillance Manager (VSM) before 7.0.0 does not require authentication for access to VSMC monitoring pages, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive configuration, archive, and log information via unspecified vectors, related to the Cisco_VSBWT (aka Broadware sample code) package, aka Bug ID CSCsv40169.

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 Video Surveillance Manager (VSM) before version 7.0.0 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the VSMC monitoring pages related to the Cisco_VSBWT (Broadware) sample code package. Remote unauthenticated attackers can access these pages to retrieve sensitive configuration files, archive data, and system logs.

MitigationUpgrade Cisco VSM to version 7.0.0 or later to obtain the patched code. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict external access to VSMC monitoring interfaces.

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
Video Surveillance ManagerApplication
Affected:<= 6.3.3= 1.1.0= 1.2.1= 2.0.0= 2.1= 2.1.2= 2.1.3= 2.1.4= 2.1.6= 2.1.7= 2.3.0= 2.3.1

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
None
Availability
None

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

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 VSM version installed
    Log into the Video Surveillance Management Server (VSMC) and navigate to the admin interface or check the installed package version using system commands (e.g., rpm, dpkg, or the VSM admin console).
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: <= 6.3.3, 1.1.0, 1.2.1, 2.0.0, 2.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.1.6, 2.1.7, 2.3.0, or 2.3.1.
  2. Locate Cisco_VSBWT (Broadware) component
    Search the VSM installation directory for the Cisco_VSBWT or Broadware sample code package. Check common paths such as /opt/vsms, /usr/local/vsm, or the web root directory for directories named 'Cisco_VSBWT', 'broadware', or similar sample code folders.
    Affected if The Cisco_VSBWT or Broadware sample code package is present on the system.
  3. Verify VSMC monitoring page exposure
    From an external or untrusted network perspective, attempt to access common VSMC monitoring paths such as /Cisco_VSBWT/, /monitoring/, or /viewer/ without providing any authentication credentials. Use a web browser or curl command to test endpoints.
    Affected if Monitoring pages are accessible without requiring any login or authentication credentials.
  4. Check for sensitive file retrieval
    Attempt to access known sensitive file paths through the monitoring interface, such as configuration files (e.g., .xml, .conf), archive data, or system logs. Common paths may include /logs/, /config/, or direct file references within the VSMC web structure.
    Affected if Sensitive configuration files, archives, or system logs can be retrieved without authentication.

You are affected if your VSM version is in the affected list AND the Cisco_VSBWT/Broadware component is installed AND the monitoring pages are accessible without authentication from your network.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 6.3.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Cisco VSM to version 7.0.0 or later to obtain the patched code. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict external access to VSMC monitoring interfaces.

Fix this in Video Surveillance Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-3431 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2013-3431 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data