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Unified Communications ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2022-20815

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-07-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.5 / 12.5 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
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified CM Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), and Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service (Unified CM IM&P) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the interface. This vulnerability exists because the web-based management interface does not properly validate user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user of the interface to click a crafted link. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the affected 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

A reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Unified CM Session Management Edition, and Unified CM IM & Presence Service allows unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious scripts via improperly validated user input in the web-based management interface. Successful exploitation requires tricking a user into clicking a crafted link, enabling execution of arbitrary JavaScript in the user's browser context.

MitigationApply the Cisco security patch for this vulnerability; until then, users should avoid clicking untrusted links to the management interface. Consider disabling the web-based management interface if not required.

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
Unified Communications ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 14.0, < 14su2
Unified Communications Manager Im And Presence ServiceApplication
Affected:>= 11.5\(1\), < 11.5\(1\)su11>= 12.5\(1\), < 12.5\(1\)su6>= 14.0, < 14.0su2

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. Identify installed Cisco Unified Communications Manager version
    Log into the Cisco Unified Communications Manager administration interface or CLI and locate the version information. In the CLI, you can typically use 'show version' or 'utils system version' command. In the web interface, version is often displayed on the login page or in 'About' sections.
    Affected if The installed version is Cisco Unified Communications Manager 14.0 through any version prior to 14su2 (14.0.x before the su2 update).
  2. Identify installed Cisco Unified CM IM & Presence Service version
    If the IM & Presence Service is deployed, check its version via the Cisco Unified CM IM & Presence Administration interface or CLI. Use the same version display methods as the main UC Manager.
    Affected if The installed version is: 11.5(1) through any version prior to 11.5(1)su11, OR 12.5(1) through any version prior to 12.5(1)su6, OR 14.0 through any version prior to 14.0su2.
  3. Confirm web-based management interface is enabled
    Access the web-based management interface URL (typically https://<server>/ccmadmin or similar) via a browser. Check if the login page loads successfully, indicating the web interface is active.
    Affected if The web-based management interface is accessible and responds to requests, meaning the vulnerable input validation surface is exposed.
  4. Compare your version against the affected ranges
    Document the exact version number (including any_SU or Service Update suffix) and compare it against the affected version ranges: for CUCM: >= 14.0 and < 14su2; for IM&P: >= 11.5(1) and < 11.5(1)su11, >= 12.5(1) and < 12.5(1)su6, or >= 14.0 and < 14.0su2.
    Affected if Your installed version falls within any of these ranges, indicating you are running a vulnerable version.

If your Cisco Unified Communications Manager or IM & Presence Service version falls within the affected ranges AND the web-based management interface is enabled, your environment is vulnerable to this reflected XSS flaw.

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 11.5 / 12.5 / 14su2 or later
Fixed in 11.512.514su2
Interim mitigation

Apply the Cisco security patch for this vulnerability; until then, users should avoid clicking untrusted links to the management interface. Consider disabling the web-based management interface if not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

Cisco Unified CM 14SU2 or later; Cisco Unified CM IM&P 11.5(1)SU11, 12.5(1)SU6, or 14.0SU2 or later

  1. 1. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  2. 2. Back up the current Cisco Unified Communications Manager or IM & Presence configuration using the Disaster Recovery System (DRS)
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed release from Cisco Software Central: For Unified CM 14.x, use 14SU2 or later; For Unified CM IM&P 11.5(1), use 11.5(1)SU11 or later; For Unified CM IM&P 12.5(1), use 12.5(1)SU6 or later; For Unified CM IM&P 14.0, use 14.0SU2 or later
  4. 4. Upload the upgrade file to the target node using the Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration interface
  5. 5. Initiate the upgrade via the CLI using the command 'utils system upgrade' or through the GUI
  6. 6. After upgrade completes, verify the system is operational and the web interface is accessible
  7. 7. Confirm the XSS vulnerability is remediated by checking that user-supplied input in the web interface is now properly validated
Caveat Standard Cisco upgrade risks apply - ensure valid backups before proceeding; review release notes for any specific migration considerations

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

Fix this in Unified Communications Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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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-2022-20815 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