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Web Security ApplianceApplication · Cisco

CVE-2015-6298

HIGH · 9.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-11-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
The admin web interface in Cisco AsyncOS 8.x before 8.0.8-113, 8.1.x and 8.5.x before 8.5.3-051, 8.6.x and 8.7.x before 8.7.0-171-LD, and 8.8.x before 8.8.0-085 on Web Security Appliance (WSA) devices allows remote authenticated users to obtain root privileges via crafted certificate-generation arguments, aka Bug ID CSCus83445.

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

The admin web interface in Cisco AsyncOS on Web Security Appliance (WSA) devices contains a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing remote authenticated users to obtain root privileges via crafted certificate-generation arguments. The flaw affects multiple version branches (8.x, 8.1.x, 8.5.x, 8.6.x, 8.7.x, 8.8.x) prior to their respective patched releases.

MitigationUpgrade Cisco AsyncOS on WSA devices to version 8.0.8-113, 8.5.3-051, 8.7.0-171-LD, or 8.8.0-085 or later per the affected branch. Limit admin interface access to trusted users and networks until patching is complete.

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
Web Security ApplianceApplication
Affected:= 8.5.0-497

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
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/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. Confirm device is Cisco Web Security Appliance
    Access the admin CLI or web interface and identify the device model. In the CLI, run the 'status' or 'systemstatus' command to display device information.
    Affected if Device is not a Cisco WSA running AsyncOS - not affected by this specific CVE.
  2. Check AsyncOS version
    In the admin CLI, run the 'version' command. Or in the web interface, go to System Administration > Software. The displayed version will show the AsyncOS build number (e.g., 8.5.0-497).
    Affected if Version falls within 8.x, 8.1.x, 8.5.x, 8.6.x, 8.7.x, or 8.8.x branches AND is earlier than the patched releases (8.0.8-113, 8.5.3-051, 8.7.0-171-LD, 8.8.0-085).
  3. Verify admin web interface is accessible
    Attempt to reach the admin web interface at the default HTTPS port (e.g., https://<WSA-ip>:8443/). Confirm the interface is reachable and accepts authentication.
    Affected if Admin web interface is enabled and reachable - combined with a vulnerable version, this is the attack surface for the privilege escalation.
  4. Check for certificate management access
    In the web interface, navigate to Network > Certificates or System Administration > SSL Settings to confirm the certificate management feature is available to authenticated admin users.
    Affected if Certificate generation/management features are accessible to authenticated admins - this is the specific feature where the privilege escalation occurs.

You are affected if you are running a Cisco WSA with AsyncOS version 8.x-8.8.x prior to the patched releases AND the admin web interface with certificate management features is accessible to authenticated users.

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 Cisco AsyncOS on WSA devices to version 8.0.8-113, 8.5.3-051, 8.7.0-171-LD, or 8.8.0-085 or later per the affected branch. Limit admin interface access to trusted users and networks until patching is complete.

Recommended fix High confidence

AsyncOS 8.0.8-113, 8.5.3-051, 8.7.0-171-LD, or 8.8.0-085 (select the version corresponding to your current release branch)

  1. 1. Log into the Cisco Web Security Appliance admin web interface
  2. 2. Navigate to System Administration > Software Update or use the CLI `update` command
  3. 3. Download the appropriate updated AsyncOS version from Cisco (8.0.8-113, 8.5.3-051, 8.7.0-171-LD, or 8.8.0-085 depending on your current branch)
  4. 4. Before upgrading, backup the current configuration via System Administration > Configuration File
  5. 5. Initiate the upgrade and allow the appliance to reboot
  6. 6. Verify the new version is installed and confirm the web interface is accessible
  7. 7. Validate that saved configurations and policies are intact after upgrade
Caveat WSA upgrades may temporarily disrupt web proxy services; schedule during maintenance window and review Cisco release notes for any configuration changes required

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

Fix this in Web Security Appliance Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2015-6298 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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