Security ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2020-27125
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in Cisco Security Manager could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access sensitive information on an affected system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient protection of static credentials in the affected software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by viewing source code. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to view static credentials, which the attacker could use to carry out further attacks.
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 · moderate confidenceAn information disclosure vulnerability in Cisco Security Manager allows unauthenticated remote attackers to view source code containing statically embedded credentials. The vulnerability stems from insufficient protection mechanisms that expose hardcoded credentials in the software, which attackers can exploit to gain unauthorized access for further attacks.
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
Security ManagerApplication
<= 4.21CVSS 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
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Verify Cisco Security Manager installationCheck for Cisco Security Manager installation by looking for the service or installation directory. On Windows, check for the 'Cisco Security Manager' service or Program Files directory containing 'CSM' or 'Security Manager' in the name.Affected if The software is installed on the system
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Check installed versionOpen Cisco Security Manager and navigate to Help > About, or check the version from the installation directory's version file or registry entries. Compare against the affected range.Affected if The installed version is 4.21 or lower (any version <= 4.21)
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Assess network exposure of web interfaceDetermine if the Cisco Security Manager web interface (typically ports 443 or 8443) is accessible from untrusted networks. Check firewall rules and listen addresses in the web server configuration.Affected if The web interface is exposed to untrusted or external networks without proper access controls
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Inspect for hardcoded credentialsReview configuration files and any custom scripts within the Cisco Security Manager installation directory for hardcoded usernames, passwords, API keys, or secrets. Look in config files, XML files, and property files.Affected if Hardcoded credentials are found in any configuration files within the installation directory
You are affected if Cisco Security Manager version 4.21 or lower is installed and its web interface is network-accessible, as attackers could exploit the source code disclosure to extract embedded credentials.
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 · scopedRemove all static credentials from source code and implement proper secrets management (e.g., vault solutions). Rotate any potentially exposed credentials and apply vendor-provided patches or updates for Cisco Security Manager.
Cisco Security Manager 4.22 or later (latest available release)
- 1. Navigate to the Cisco Security Manager download page on tools.cisco.com
- 2. Download the latest version of Cisco Security Manager (version 4.22 or later)
- 3. Back up the current Cisco Security Manager configuration and database
- 4. Install the new version following the standard Cisco Security Manager installation guide
- 5. Verify that the application starts successfully and all services are running
- 6. Confirm the static credentials are no longer exposed in source code
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Security Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 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 $11,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-27125 — 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-2020-27125 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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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.
- 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