AsyncosOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2022-20868
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 Email Security Appliance, Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager and Cisco Secure Web Appliance could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate privileges on an affected system. The attacker needs valid credentials to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability is due to the use of a hardcoded value to encrypt a token used for certain APIs calls . An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the device and sending a crafted HTTP request. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to impersonate another valid user and execute commands with the privileges of that user account.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability exists in the web-based management interface of Cisco Email Security Appliance, Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, and Cisco Secure Web Appliance. The root cause is the use of a hardcoded value to encrypt authentication tokens used for certain API calls. An authenticated attacker with valid credentials can send a crafted HTTP request containing a manipulated token to impersonate another valid user and execute commands with that user's privileges, achieving privilege escalation.
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
>= 13.0, < 14.2.1>= 12.0, < 14.2.0>= 11.8, < 12.5.5>= 14.0, < 14.0.4= 14.5CVSS 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 the installed productAccess the web-based management interface or use the CLI 'show version' command to confirm the product is Cisco Email Security Appliance, Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, or Cisco Secure Web ApplianceAffected if The product is one of these three Cisco appliances
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Determine the AsyncOS versionUse the CLI command 'show version' or check the web interface System Administration > Firmware Upgrade page to identify the exact AsyncOS version numberAffected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: >=13.0 and <14.2.1, OR >=12.0 and <14.2.0, OR >=11.8 and <12.5.5, OR >=14.0 and <14.0.4, OR exactly version 14.5
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Verify web-based management interface is enabledCheck the web interface under Network > HTTP Proxy or use CLI 'httpd' status commands to confirm the web-based management interface is activeAffected if The web-based management interface is enabled and accessible
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Check for API access logsReview the web interface logs under Monitor > Log Subscriptions or System Administration > Log Debug for unusual API calls, especially those involving authentication token manipulation or privilege escalation patternsAffected if There are API requests with modified or suspicious authentication tokens, or attempts to access elevated privileges
You are affected if your appliance runs an affected AsyncOS version (as listed above) AND the web-based management interface is enabled, allowing potential token manipulation attacks.
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 · scoped12.5.514.0.414.2.0
Apply vendor patches or firmware updates from Cisco for affected products. In the interim, restrict access to the web-based management interface to trusted IP addresses only and monitor for suspicious API activity.
Minimum fixed versions: Asyncos 12.5.5, 14.0.4, 14.2.0, or 14.2.1 depending on the version branch; recommend upgrading to latest available release (14.2.x)
- 1. Identify the current Asyncos version running on the affected Cisco Email Security Appliance, Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, or Cisco Secure Web Appliance using the web interface (Administration > System Administration > Upgrade and Install) or CLI (version command)
- 2. Determine which version branch your current release belongs to (11.x, 12.x, 13.x, or 14.x)
- 3. For Asyncos 11.x branches: upgrade to version 12.5.5 or later
- 4. For Asyncos 12.x branches: upgrade to version 14.2.0 or later
- 5. For Asyncos 13.x branches: upgrade to version 14.2.1 or later
- 6. For Asyncos 14.x branches: upgrade to version 14.0.4 or later
- 7. Download the appropriate Asyncos upgrade file from Cisco (requires valid service contract)
- 8. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrade will require brief downtime
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Asyncos
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,760.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20868 — 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-2022-20868 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
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