Unified Communications ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2022-20816
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-based management interface of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM) and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to delete arbitrary files from an affected system. This vulnerability exists because the affected software does not properly validate HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to the affected software. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to delete arbitrary files from the affected system.
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 vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Unified CM and Unified CM SME allows an authenticated remote attacker to delete arbitrary files from the affected system. The issue stems from improper validation of HTTP requests, enabling attackers to craft malicious requests that bypass security controls and target the file system.
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
>= 11.5\(1\), < 14su2CVSS 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
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 Unified CM or SME installationRun 'show version' on the Cisco device or check the application inventory for Cisco Unified Communications Manager or Cisco Unified CM SME packagesAffected if The product listed is Cisco Unified Communications Manager or Unified CM SME
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Check installed version against affected rangeExecute 'utils system version' or access the web interface Help > About to retrieve the exact version number. Compare against >=11.5(1) and <14su2Affected if Installed version is 11.5(1) or higher but lower than 14su2 (or 14.0SU2)
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Verify web-based management interface is enabledCheck the Cisco Unified CM service activation page or run 'show service' command to confirm the Cisco Tomcat or web management service is activeAffected if The web-based management interface service is running and accessible
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Review HTTP access logs for anomalous file deletion requestsInspect web server logs (typically in /var/log/httpd/ or via RTMT) for DELETE method requests targeting unexpected file paths, especially outside normal configuration directoriesAffected if Logs contain DELETE or unusually crafted HTTP requests to arbitrary file paths that the web interface should not permit
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Check for unauthorized administrative session activityUse RTMT or CLI to review Cisco Unified CM CDR or audit logs for administrative actions related to file operations performed by users without legitimate file management privilegesAffected if Administrative actions show file deletions performed by accounts lacking documented authorization
A system is affected if it runs Cisco Unified CM or Unified CM SME version 11.5(1) through 14su1 with the web-based management interface enabled, and shows evidence of anomalous HTTP file deletion requests or unauthorized file operations.
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 · scoped14su2
Apply the vendor patch from Cisco when available. In the interim, restrict access to the web-based management interface to trusted networks only, limit the number of authenticated users with administrative privileges, and monitor for suspicious HTTP requests.
14su2 (or any release >= 14su2)
- Identify current Cisco Unified Communications Manager version via CLI (utils system version) or web interface
- Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
- Back up the current Unified CM configuration using the Disaster Recovery System (DRS)
- Obtain the upgrade file for version 14su2 or later from Cisco (requires valid Cisco service contract)
- Upload the upgrade file to the Unified CM publisher using the CLI or administration interface
- Initiate the upgrade via CLI: install add file <filename>.sgn or through the OS Administration interface
- Monitor the upgrade progress and verify completion
- After upgrade, confirm the version has been updated to 14su2 or later
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
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20816 — 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-2022-20816 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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- 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
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