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Prime InfrastructureApplication · Cisco

CVE-2022-20656

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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 PI and Cisco EPNM could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct a path traversal attack on an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid credentials on the system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of the HTTPS URL by the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request that contains directory traversal character sequences to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to write arbitrary files to the host system. Cisco has released software updates that address these vulnerabilities. There are no workarounds that address these vulnerabilities.

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

A path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Prime Infrastructure (PI) and Cisco EPNM web-based management interface allows authenticated remote attackers to use directory traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../') in crafted HTTPS requests. Due to insufficient input validation of the URL parameter, the vulnerability enables writing arbitrary files to the host file system.

MitigationApply Cisco software updates released to address this vulnerability. No workarounds are available.

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
Prime InfrastructureApplication
Affected:= 2.0.0= 2.1= 2.2= 3.0.0= 3.1.0= 3.1.5= 3.2= 3.2.0-fips= 3.3.0= 3.4.0= 3.5.0= 3.6.0
Evolved Programmable Network ManagerApplication
Affected:= 1.1= 1.2= 2.0= 2.1= 2.2= 3.0= 3.0.1= 3.0.2= 3.0.3= 3.1= 3.1.1= 3.1.2

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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 installed Cisco network management product
    Check the system for Cisco Prime Infrastructure or Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager (EPNM) installations. Look for application directories, service names, or check installed software packages using system inventory tools.
    Affected if Neither Cisco Prime Infrastructure nor EPNM is installed on the system.
  2. Determine the installed version of Cisco PI or EPNM
    Access the web-based management interface and navigate to the About or Version page, or use the command line interface if available (e.g., 'show version' or checking installation logs). Compare the version number against the affected ranges.
    Affected if The installed version matches: Cisco PI = 2.0.0, 2.1, 2.2, 3.0.0, 3.1.0, 3.1.5, 3.2, 3.2.0-fips, 3.3.0, 3.4.0, 3.5.0, 3.6.0 OR EPNM = 1.1, 1.2, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.1, 3.1.1, 3.1.2.
  3. Verify the web-based management interface is accessible
    Confirm the HTTPS web management interface is enabled and reachable. Check if the service is running and accessible via browser or curl to the management URL.
    Affected if The web-based management interface is not exposed or is disabled.
  4. Review web server access logs for directory traversal patterns
    Examine HTTP/HTTPS access logs for the management interface. Search for URL patterns containing '../' or directory traversal sequences, especially in requests to writable endpoints.
    Affected if Logs show directory traversal attempts ('../' sequences) in URL parameters targeting the management interface.

You are affected if Cisco Prime Infrastructure or EPNM is installed with a version matching the listed affected versions AND the web-based management interface is accessible to authenticated users.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Cisco software updates released to address this vulnerability. No workarounds are available.

Fix this in Prime Infrastructure Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2022-20656 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