Secure Firewall Management CenterApplication · Cisco
CVE-2022-20743
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the web management interface of Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to bypass security protections and upload malicious files to the affected system. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of files uploaded to the web management interface of Cisco FMC Software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a maliciously crafted file to a device running affected software. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to store malicious files on the device, which they could access later to conduct additional attacks, including executing arbitrary code on the affected device with root privileges.
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 confidenceA file upload validation vulnerability in Cisco Firepower Management Center's web management interface allows authenticated remote attackers to bypass security controls and upload malicious files. Successful exploitation enables storage of arbitrary files on the device, which can later be accessed to achieve remote code execution with root privileges.
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
Secure Firewall Management CenterApplication
< 6.4.0.15>= 6.5.0, < 6.6.5.2>= 6.7.0, < 7.0.2>= 7.1.0, < 7.1.0.1CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center versionAccess the FMC web interface and navigate to System > About > Updates, or use CLI command 'show version' on the device to retrieve the installed software version.Affected if The installed version falls within < 6.4.0.15; >= 6.5.0 and < 6.6.5.2; >= 6.7.0 and < 7.0.2; >= 7.1.0 and < 7.1.0.1.
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Confirm FMC web management interface is enabledCheck if the web management interface is accessible and enabled. On the FMC CLI, verify the status with command 'show http-server' or check via the web interface under System > Logging Settings > Web Server.Affected if The web management interface is exposed and accessible.
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Review file upload logs for suspicious activityExamine FMC logs for file upload events. Navigate to the web interface Audit Log or check system logs for upload-related entries, looking for unexpected file types or unusual upload patterns.Affected if Logs show file uploads to unexpected locations, unusual file types, or uploads initiated by non-administrator accounts.
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Inspect filesystem for unexpected filesIf you have CLI access, use 'ls -la' in common upload directories such as /var/sf/updates or /var/common to look for suspicious files that do not belong to normal FMC operations.Affected if Unexpected files are found in upload directories, especially executable files or scripts.
A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable FMC version with the web management interface enabled and exhibits signs of unauthorized file uploads or unexpected files in the filesystem.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped6.4.0.156.6.5.27.0.2
Apply the vendor patch when available; until then, restrict access to the FMC web management interface to trusted networks only and monitor for suspicious file upload activity.
Upgrade to the minimum fixed version for your branch: 6.4.0.15, 6.6.5.2, 7.0.2, or 7.1.0.1 (or later)
- 1. Identify the currently installed Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) version via the web interface (System > About > Version) or CLI (show version)
- 2. Based on your current major version, plan upgrade to the minimum fixed version: For 6.4.x branch: upgrade to 6.4.0.15 or later; For 6.5.x-6.6.x branch: upgrade to 6.6.5.2 or later; For 7.0.x branch: upgrade to 7.0.2 or later; For 7.1.x branch: upgrade to 7.1.0.1 or later
- 3. Review Cisco FMC upgrade prerequisites and compatibility matrix at tools.cisco.com
- 4. Create a backup of the FMC configuration
- 5. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades require brief downtime
- 6. Download the appropriate upgrade package from Cisco (requires valid SMARTnet contract)
- 7. Upload the upgrade package via the FMC web interface (System > Updates > Product Updates)
- 8. Install the upgrade and allow the system to reboot
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Secure Firewall Management Center
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20743 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-20743 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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