dbcve.org
Telepresence Video Communication ServerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2022-20853

HIGH · 7.4 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 →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 REST API of Cisco Expressway Series and Cisco TelePresence VCS could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attack on an affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient CSRF protections for the web-based management interface of an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user of the REST API to follow a crafted link. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected system to reload. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. 

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

CSRF vulnerability in Cisco Expressway Series and TelePresence VCS REST API due to insufficient CSRF protection in the web-based management interface. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this by tricking an authenticated user into following a crafted link, causing the affected system to reload.

MitigationApply the Cisco software updates that 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
Telepresence Video Communication ServerApplication
Affected:= x8.1= x8.1.1= x8.1.2= x8.2= x8.2.1= x8.2.2= x8.5= x8.5.1= x8.5.2= x8.5.3= x8.6= x8.6.1

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed version of Cisco Telepresence VCS
    Log into the web-based management interface and navigate to the version or system information page, or use the CLI command to display the software version (typically 'version' or 'show systemunit' command).
    Affected if The displayed version matches any of the following: x8.1, x8.1.1, x8.1.2, x8.2, x8.2.1, x8.2.2, x8.5, x8.5.1, x8.5.2, x8.5.3, x8.6, or x8.6.1
  2. Confirm the web-based management interface is accessible
    Attempt to access the management interface via HTTPS or HTTP on the default ports (typically 443 or 80) using the system's IP address or hostname.
    Affected if The management interface is reachable from a network where potential attackers could trick an authenticated user into visiting a crafted link
  3. Determine if the REST API is enabled
    Check the system configuration pages within the web management interface for REST API or API access settings, or attempt to access common API endpoints such as /putxml or /getxml.
    Affected if The REST API is enabled and accessible without additional authentication beyond the session cookie
  4. Check for CSRF protection mechanisms in the interface
    Inspect the HTML source of authenticated management pages for CSRF tokens (look for hidden form fields with names like 'csrf_token', 'token', or similar, or check request headers for anti-CSRF measures).
    Affected if No CSRF tokens are present in administrative forms or the application does not validate the Origin/Referer headers on POST requests

Your environment is affected if the installed Cisco Telepresence VCS version is one of the listed affected versions AND the web-based management interface or REST API is accessible to users who could be targeted by CSRF attacks.

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

Apply the Cisco software updates that address this vulnerability. No workarounds are available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a version newer than x8.2 (contact Cisco for the exact fixed release)

  1. Contact Cisco support or visit the Cisco security advisory page for CVE-2022-20853 to obtain the specific fixed version
  2. Download the recommended software update for your Cisco TelePresence VCS or Expressway Series device
  3. Upload the firmware/software update via the web-based management interface or CLI
  4. Reboot the device as required by the update process
  5. Verify the system is running the patched version after reboot
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply - ensure backups are in place and review release notes for any configuration or behavioral changes

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

Fix this in Telepresence Video Communication Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20853 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-20853 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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