Smart Software Manager On PremApplication · Cisco
CVE-2020-3245
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 the web application of Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to create arbitrary user accounts. The vulnerability is due to the lack of authorization controls in the web application. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to add user accounts to the configuration of an affected device. These accounts would not be administrator or operator accounts.
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 confidenceThis is an authorization bypass vulnerability in Cisco SSM On-Prem where the web application lacks proper access control checks during user account creation. An unauthenticated remote attacker can send a crafted HTTP request to the user creation endpoint and add arbitrary accounts to the system configuration. The created accounts are limited to non-privileged (non-admin/non-operator) access levels.
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
Smart Software Manager On PremApplication
< 8-202004CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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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Check installed Cisco SSM On-Prem versionAccess the web interface admin panel and navigate to the System or About page to view the running version. Alternatively, log into the appliance CLI and run the command to display system version information (for example, 'show version' or a similar command available in the appliance).Affected if The displayed version is older than 8-202004, meaning it falls within the vulnerable version range.
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Determine if the web interface is network-exposedReview firewall rules, network ACLs, or reverse proxy configurations to identify whether the SSM On-Prem web interface (typically ports 80/443 or custom HTTPS port) is reachable from untrusted or public networks. Use network scanning tools or review edge firewall policies to confirm external accessibility.Affected if The web interface is accessible from networks outside the trusted internal range, allowing unauthenticated attackers to reach the user creation endpoint.
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Audit existing user accounts for unauthorized creationsLog into the SSM On-Prem admin interface and review the User Management or Users section. Compare the list of accounts against known legitimate users. Alternatively, export the user list via CLI or API if available.Affected if There are user accounts present that were not created by legitimate administrators, or there are unexpected non-privileged accounts that cannot be attributed to known admin actions.
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Inspect HTTP logs for user creation requestsReview web server access logs, application logs, or security audit logs on the SSM On-Prem appliance for POST requests to user creation endpoints from unauthenticated or unexpected source IP addresses. Look for patterns indicating bulk or automated account creation.Affected if Logs contain POST requests to the user creation endpoint that originate from unauthenticated sources or IP addresses not belonging to legitimate administrators.
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Verify access control configuration on user creation endpointIf available, examine the web application configuration or proxy settings to determine whether the user creation endpoint enforces authentication and authorization checks. This may involve reviewing XML configuration files, reverse proxy rules, or application-level access control settings.Affected if The user creation endpoint is configured to allow requests without requiring valid authentication credentials or session tokens.
Your environment is affected if the installed version is older than 8-202004 AND the SSM On-Prem web interface is accessible from untrusted networks, allowing unauthenticated attackers to create unauthorized non-privileged accounts.
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 data8-202004
Apply the Cisco patch for CVE-2020-3245 when available. Until then, restrict network access to the SSM On-Prem web interface to trusted networks only, as the vulnerability can be exploited without authentication.
Fix this in Smart Software Manager On Prem
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-3245 — 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-2020-3245 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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