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AsyncosOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2022-20675

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.0.2-012 / 14.1.0-239 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 TCP/IP stack of Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA), Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA), and Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, formerly Security Management Appliance, could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to crash the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) service, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to an open port listener on TCP port 199. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to TCP port 199. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to crash the SNMP service, resulting in a DoS condition.

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 · moderate confidence

A denial of service vulnerability exists in the TCP/IP stack of Cisco Email Security Appliance, Web Security Appliance, and Secure Email and Web Manager. The vulnerability stems from an open port listener on TCP port 199, which can be exploited by an unauthenticated remote attacker connecting to this port, causing the SNMP service to crash.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security patch from Cisco for this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict network access to TCP port 199 from untrusted sources using firewall rules or access control lists.

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:>= 14.0, < 14.02.0-020>= 12.5, < 14.1.0-239>= 12.0, < 14.0.2-012

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

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 the Cisco appliance model
    Log into the appliance CLI and run the command 'show version' or check the web interface dashboard to confirm the device is a Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA), Web Security Appliance (WSA), or Secure Email and Web Manager (SMWM).
    Affected if The device is not one of these three product types.
  2. Determine the AsyncOS version
    Run the CLI command 'show version' and locate the AsyncOS version number displayed in the output.
    Affected if The installed AsyncOS version falls within any of these ranges: 14.0 to 14.02.0-019 (inclusive), 12.5 to 14.1.0-238 (inclusive), or 12.0 to 14.0.2-011 (inclusive). Compare your version against these three ranges.
  3. Verify TCP port 199 is listening
    From the appliance CLI, run the command 'netstat -an | grep 199' or use 'show tcpdump' to check if TCP port 199 is in LISTEN state. Alternatively, scan the device from an external system using 'nc -zv <device_ip> 199' or an Nmap scan targeting port 199.
    Affected if TCP port 199 is open and listening on the appliance network interface.
  4. Confirm SNMP service accessibility
    Check if SNMP is configured and accessible by running 'snmpwalk' against the appliance or by reviewing the SNMP configuration via 'show snmpconfig' in the CLI.
    Affected if SNMP is enabled and responding to queries on any interface.

The environment is affected if the device is an ESA, WSA, or SMWM running a vulnerable AsyncOS version within the specified ranges AND TCP port 199 is open and listening, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to crash the SNMP service.

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 14.0.2-012 / 14.1.0-239 / 14.02.0-020 or later
Fixed in 14.0.2-01214.1.0-23914.02.0-020
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied security patch from Cisco for this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict network access to TCP port 199 from untrusted sources using firewall rules or access control lists.

Recommended fix High confidence

Minimum: 14.0.2-012 (for 12.x/14.0.x branches), 14.1.0-239 (for 12.5-14.0.x), or 14.02.0-020 (for 14.x) - choose the appropriate version based on current branch

  1. 1. Identify the current AsyncOS version by accessing the ESA, WSA, or Secure Email and Web Manager CLI and running the 'version' command
  2. 2. Based on the current version, determine the minimum required upgrade version: if running 14.0.x, upgrade to 14.0.2-012 or later; if running 12.5.x through 14.0.x, upgrade to 14.1.0-239 or later; if running 12.0.x through 12.5.x, upgrade to 14.1.0-239 or later
  3. 3. Download the appropriate AsyncOS upgrade image from Cisco Software Download portal (requires valid Cisco service contract)
  4. 4. Upload the upgrade file to the appliance via the GUI (System Administration > System Upgrade) or CLI using 'upgrade' command
  5. 5. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade will require a reboot
  6. 6. Run the upgrade and confirm the SNMP service is operational post-upgrade by verifying port 199 is no longer vulnerable
  7. 7. Verify the new version is installed using 'version' command in CLI
Caveat Standard Cisco ESA/WSA upgrade risks apply - review release notes for any configuration changes or compatibility considerations before proceeding

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

Fix this in Asyncos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2022-20675 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