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Security ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2022-20638

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

Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Cisco Security Manager's web-based management interface allow unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted links. The vulnerabilities stem from insufficient validation of user-supplied input, enabling script execution in the context of the interface or access to sensitive browser-based information.

MitigationApply Cisco's official security updates for Cisco Security Manager. In the interim, implement user awareness training to avoid clicking untrusted links and consider web application firewall rules to detect and block XSS attack patterns.

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. Verify Cisco Security Manager is installed
    Check for Cisco Security Manager installation by looking for its program directory (typically in C:\Program Files\Cisco\Security Manager or C:\CSManager) or check Windows Services for 'Cisco Security Manager' services.
    Affected if Cisco Security Manager software is present on the system
  2. Check installed version number
    Locate the version information: Check the About page in the Security Manager web interface, check the Windows Services description, or look for a version file in the installation directory. Compare the version to 4.24.
    Affected if Installed version is earlier than 4.24 (e.g., 4.23, 4.22, etc.)
  3. Confirm web-based management interface is enabled
    Access the Security Manager web interface URL (typically https://hostname:8443 or http://hostname:8080) or check if the Apache Tomcat service used by Security Manager is running.
    Affected if The web-based management interface is accessible and running
  4. Check interface exposure
    Determine if the web interface is exposed to untrusted networks by reviewing firewall rules, network configuration, or binding addresses. Check if it listens on all interfaces (0.0.0.0) vs. localhost only.
    Affected if The web management interface is reachable from untrusted network segments

A user is affected if Cisco Security Manager is installed with a version earlier than 4.24 AND the web-based management interface is accessible.

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 Cisco's official security updates for Cisco Security Manager. In the interim, implement user awareness training to avoid clicking untrusted links and consider web application firewall rules to detect and block XSS attack patterns.

Recommended fix High confidence

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 (software.cisco.com) using your Cisco credentials.
  3. 3. Review the Cisco Security Manager release notes and installation guide for version 4.24 to understand prerequisites and upgrade procedures.
  4. 4. Execute the upgrade installer on the Security Manager server, following the documented upgrade path for your current version.
  5. 5. After upgrade completion, verify that the web-based management interface is accessible and functioning correctly.
  6. 6. Confirm the fix by checking that the Cisco Security Manager version displays as 4.24 or later in the About section.
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration changes or deprecated features between your current version and 4.24; some legacy integrations may require reconfiguration.

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

Fix this in Security Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.

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-2022-20638 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