Telepresence Vx Clinical AssistantApplication · Cisco
CVE-2013-5558
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 · uneditedThe WIL-A module in Cisco TelePresence VX Clinical Assistant 1.2 before 1.21 changes the admin password to an empty password upon a reboot, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain access via the administrative interface, aka Bug ID CSCuj17238.
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 confidenceThe WIL-A module in Cisco TelePresence VX Clinical Assistant versions prior to 1.21 resets the admin password to an empty string upon system reboot. This creates a trivial authentication bypass where remote attackers can access the administrative interface with no password after any reboot event.
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 Vx Clinical AssistantApplication
= 1.2CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify device model and software versionAccess the device CLI or web interface and retrieve the system version information for Cisco TelePresence VX Clinical Assistant. This is typically found in the system information or about page.Affected if The device model matches Cisco TelePresence VX Clinical Assistant and the version is 1.2 or earlier, or the WIL-A module version is below 1.21
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Check WIL-A module versionLocate the WIL-A module version information in the device firmware or module status. This may be visible in the system diagnostics, module list, or firmware inventory.Affected if The WIL-A module version is below 1.21 (the fixed version)
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Verify admin account password stateAttempt to access the administrative web interface or CLI with the admin username and an empty password. Also check if password field appears blank or unset in the user management section.Affected if The admin account accepts an empty password for authentication, indicating the password reset vulnerability has been triggered
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Check for recent system reboot eventsReview system logs, uptime information, or reboot history to determine if the device has been restarted. On the device CLI, run commands such as 'show system uptime' or review log entries for reboot timestamps.Affected if The device has been rebooted since initial configuration and the admin password is now empty or non-functional
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Assess network exposure of admin interfaceDetermine if the administrative web interface (typically ports 80/443 or custom TelePresence management ports) is accessible from network segments outside the trusted management network.Affected if The admin interface is reachable from untrusted networks, enabling remote exploitation of the authentication bypass
A user is affected if they have a Cisco TelePresence VX Clinical Assistant with WIL-A module version below 1.21 that has been rebooted, and the admin account now accepts an empty password for remote authentication.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpgrade the WIL-A module to version 1.21 or later where the password reset behavior is corrected. Additionally, restrict network access to the administrative interface via firewall rules or VPN until the patch can be applied.
Version 1.21 or later
- Identify the current version of Cisco TelePresence VX Clinical Assistant by accessing the system administration interface
- Download Cisco TelePresence VX Clinical Assistant version 1.21 or later from the Cisco software download center
- Follow Cisco's standard upgrade procedure for the TelePresence VX Clinical Assistant platform
- After upgrading, access the administrative interface and confirm a strong admin password is set
- Verify that the admin password persists after a system reboot
- If the password reverts to empty after reboot after the upgrade, contact Cisco TAC for additional support
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Telepresence Vx Clinical Assistant
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,080.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-5558 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-5558 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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