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Meeting ServerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2016-6445

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-10-27
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
A vulnerability in the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) service of the Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) before 2.0.6 and Acano Server before 1.8.18 and 1.9.x before 1.9.6 could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to masquerade as a legitimate user. This vulnerability is due to the XMPP service incorrectly processing a deprecated authentication scheme. A successful exploit could allow an attacker to access the system as another user.

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 Cisco Meeting Server and Acano Server XMPP service contains a vulnerability that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to authenticate using a deprecated authentication scheme (likely legacy or weaker authentication). The XMPP service incorrectly processes this deprecated mechanism, enabling an attacker to masquerade as any legitimate user and gain unauthorized access to the system.

MitigationUpgrade Cisco Meeting Server to version 2.0.6 or later, or Acano Server to version 1.8.18 / 1.9.6 or later to eliminate the vulnerable deprecated authentication scheme.

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
Meeting ServerApplication
Affected:= 1.8.15= 1.8_base= 1.9.0= 1.9.2= 2.0.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.3= 2.0.4= 2.0.5

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 installed Cisco Meeting Server or Acano Server version
    Access the administrative interface or use system commands to retrieve the current software version. Look for version information in the system status, about page, or command-line interface.
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: 1.8.15, 1.8_base, 1.9.0, 1.9.2, 2.0.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, or 2.0.5
  2. Verify XMPP service is enabled and accessible
    Check the system configuration to confirm the XMPP service is enabled. Review network settings to determine if the XMPP port (typically port 5222) is open and listening for external connections.
    Affected if XMPP service is enabled and network-accessible to untrusted networks or the internet
  3. Inspect XMPP authentication configuration
    Examine the XMPP service configuration files or administrative settings for authentication mechanisms. Look for references to deprecated, legacy, or weaker authentication schemes that may be still active.
    Affected if A deprecated or legacy authentication mechanism remains enabled in the XMPP configuration
  4. Review XMPP service logs for unauthorized access attempts
    Examine XMPP service logs for authentication events, particularly successful logins using older authentication methods or unusual authentication patterns that may indicate exploitation.
    Affected if Logs show successful authentications using deprecated methods or unexpected user login activity

You are affected if your installed version is any of the listed affected versions AND the XMPP service is enabled with the deprecated authentication mechanism still active.

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 Meeting Server to version 2.0.6 or later, or Acano Server to version 1.8.18 / 1.9.6 or later to eliminate the vulnerable deprecated authentication scheme.

Recommended fix High confidence

Cisco Meeting Server 2.0.6+ or Acano Server 1.8.18+/1.9.6+ (depending on your product line)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Cisco Meeting Server or Acano Server version using the admin interface or CLI command 'version'
  2. 2. If running Acano Server 1.8.x, upgrade to version 1.8.18 or later
  3. 3. If running Acano Server 1.9.x, upgrade to version 1.9.6 or later
  4. 4. If running Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) before 2.0.6, upgrade to version 2.0.6 or later
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the XMPP service is running correctly and test user authentication
  6. 6. Review system logs to confirm no unauthorized access attempts occurred during the vulnerability window
Caveat Upgrading between major version branches (e.g., 1.x to 2.x) may require compatibility checks with integrated systems and could involve configuration changes; test in a staging environment first

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

Fix this in Meeting Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
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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-2016-6445 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data