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Security ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2022-20636

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.24 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Security Manager could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct cross-site scripting attacks against a user of the interface. These vulnerabilities are due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by persuading a user to click a crafted link. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the interface or access sensitive, browser-based information.

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

This is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cisco Security Manager's web-based management interface. The vulnerabilities stem from insufficient validation of user-supplied input, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted links that execute in the context of the victim's browser session.

MitigationApply vendor patches when available; until then, users should be educated to avoid clicking untrusted links and administrators may consider disabling the web interface if not operationally critical.

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
Affected:< 4.24

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Cisco Security Manager is installed
    Locate the Security Manager installation directory or check for the Security Manager service on the system. Common locations include C:\Program Files\Cisco Systems\ or /opt/csm/ on Linux.
    Affected if The product is not present on the system.
  2. Identify the installed version
    Access the web-based management interface and navigate to the About or Help section to view the version number. Alternatively, check installation logs or the product registry entries if on Windows.
    Affected if The installed version is below 4.24.
  3. Verify the web interface is enabled
    Confirm that the Cisco Security Manager web service (typically the Apache Tomcat or Java-based web server) is running and the management interface is accessible via HTTP/HTTPS.
    Affected if The web interface is active and reachable.
  4. Assess network exposure
    Determine if the web management interface is accessible from outside the local network or from untrusted users. Check firewall rules and access control lists restricting port access (default ports are 443 and 8443).
    Affected if The interface is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet.

A user is affected if Cisco Security Manager is installed with the web interface enabled and the installed version is below 4.24.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.24 or later
Fixed in 4.24
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches when available; until then, users should be educated to avoid clicking untrusted links and administrators may consider disabling the web interface if not operationally critical.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Cisco Security Manager version 4.24

  1. 1. Back up the current Cisco Security Manager configuration and database to ensure data preservation.
  2. 2. Download Cisco Security Manager version 4.24 (or later) from the Cisco Software Download center at tools.cisco.com.
  3. 3. Review the Cisco Security Manager upgrade guide for version 4.24 installation prerequisites and procedures.
  4. 4. Execute the upgrade following the documented installation process.
  5. 5. After upgrade completion, verify the Security Manager web interface is accessible and confirm the version number displays 4.24 or later.
  6. 6. Test that the web-based management interface functions normally to ensure the XSS fix is properly applied.

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

Fix this in Security Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $6,000
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $9,600.

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-2022-20636 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