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AsyncosOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2020-3547

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 13.6.1-193 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco AsyncOS software for Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA), Cisco Content Security Management Appliance (SMA), and Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to access sensitive information on an affected device. The vulnerability exists because an insecure method is used to mask certain passwords on the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by looking at the raw HTML code that is received from the interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain some of the passwords configured throughout the interface.

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 vulnerability exists in the web-based management interface of Cisco AsyncOS software for ESA, SMA, and WSA devices. An insecure method is used to mask certain passwords in the HTML source code, allowing an authenticated attacker to view plaintext or weakly obfuscated passwords by examining the raw HTML received from the interface.

MitigationApply the relevant Cisco security updates/patches for CVE-2020-3547. As a workaround, restrict administrative access to trusted users only until the patch can be applied.

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
AsyncosOperating system
Affected:<= 13.5.1-277<= 13.6.1-193<= 11.7.2-011

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 your device model and product type
    Log into the device CLI or check the web interface header to confirm whether the appliance is an ESA (Email Security Appliance), SMA (Security Management Appliance), or WSA (Web Security Appliance).
    Affected if The device is not one of these three product lines (ESA, SMA, or WSA), as the vulnerability only affects these AsyncOS devices.
  2. Check the AsyncOS version
    In the web-based management interface, navigate to the System Administration page or use the 'version' command in the CLI. Record the full AsyncOS version string (for example, 13.5.1-277).
    Affected if The installed version is 13.5.1-277 or earlier, 13.6.1-193 or earlier, or 11.7.2-011 or earlier.
  3. Verify the web-based management interface is enabled
    In the web interface, go to Network > Interfaces or System Administration > Management Interface to confirm the HTTP or HTTPS web interface is active. Alternatively, attempt to access the management URL (for example, https://[device IP]/ecs) from a browser.
    Affected if The web-based management interface is accessible and enabled, which is the default configuration for these appliances.
  4. Inspect HTML source for password fields (optional manual check)
    If you have administrative access, log into the web interface, right-click on a password field (such as during user configuration or SMTP settings), and select 'View Page Source'. Search for 'value=' attributes containing obfuscated password strings.
    Affected if The HTML source reveals password values in an obfuscated but reversible format (such as base64 or simple encoding) rather than being completely masked or absent.

The environment is affected if the device is an ESA, SMA, or WSA running AsyncOS version 13.5.1-277 or earlier, 13.6.1-193 or earlier, or 11.7.2-011 or earlier, and the web-based management interface is enabled.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 13.6.1-193
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant Cisco security updates/patches for CVE-2020-3547. As a workaround, restrict administrative access to trusted users only until the patch can be applied.

Fix this in Asyncos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,180
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2020-3547 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