Content Security Management ApplianceApplication · Cisco
CVE-2020-3178
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 · uneditedMultiple vulnerabilities in the web-based GUI of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Content Security Management Appliance (SMA) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to redirect a user to a malicious web page. The vulnerabilities are due to improper input validation of the parameters of an HTTP request. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by intercepting an HTTP request and modifying it to redirect a user to a specific malicious URL. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to redirect a user to a malicious web page or to obtain sensitive browser-based information. This type of attack is commonly referred to as an open redirect attack and is used in phishing attacks to get users to unknowingly visit malicious sites.
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 confidenceMultiple open redirect vulnerabilities exist in the web-based GUI of Cisco AsyncOS Software for the Content Security Management Appliance. The vulnerabilities stem from improper input validation of HTTP request parameters, allowing an unauthenticated remote attacker to modify requests and redirect users to attacker-controlled malicious URLs. This enables phishing attacks and potential theft of sensitive browser-based information.
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
Content Security Management ApplianceApplication
< 13.6.0CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed AsyncOS versionAccess the appliance CLI and run the command: `version` or `show version`. Alternatively, log into the web-based GUI and check the system status or About page which typically displays the AsyncOS version.Affected if The displayed version number is lower than 13.6.0 (for example, 13.5.x, 13.0.x, or earlier)
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Confirm the appliance modelVerify the device is a Cisco Content Security Management Appliance (SMA). Check the CLI output or web GUI header which identifies the appliance type.Affected if The device is confirmed as a Content Security Management Appliance and the version is below 13.6.0
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Verify web GUI accessibilityAttempt to access the web-based management interface via HTTPS on the standard ports (typically 443 or 8443). The vulnerability exists in the GUI, so the service must be reachable.Affected if The web GUI is accessible and the AsyncOS version is below 13.6.0
A user is affected if their Cisco Content Security Management Appliance is running any version of AsyncOS Software prior to 13.6.0 and the web-based management interface is accessible.
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.
From vendor data13.6.0
Apply the relevant Cisco security updates for AsyncOS Software when available. Implement strict input validation on all HTTP parameters used in redirect functionality to ensure only trusted, internal URLs are allowed.
Fix this in Content Security Management Appliance
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-3178 — 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-2020-3178 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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