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AsyncosOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2022-20942

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.0.5-011 / 12.5.4-005 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 Email Security Appliance (ESA), Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, and Cisco Secure Web Appliance, formerly known as Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA), could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to retrieve sensitive information from an affected device, including user credentials. This vulnerability is due to weak enforcement of back-end authorization checks. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain confidential data that is stored on the affected device.

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 broken access control vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Email Security Appliance, Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, and Cisco Secure Web Appliance allows authenticated remote attackers to bypass backend authorization checks and retrieve sensitive data including user credentials via crafted HTTP requests.

MitigationApply the relevant Cisco security patch/firmware update for this vulnerability. Additionally, restrict management interface access to trusted/internal networks using ACLs or VPN tunnels to reduce attack surface.

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
Affected:< 14.2.1-015>= 14.3.0, < 14.3.0-023< 14.2.0-217>= 14.3.0, < 14.3.0-115< 12.0.5-011>= 12.5, < 12.5.4-005>= 14.0, < 14.0.2-012

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 product and AsyncOS version
    Access the appliance CLI and run the 'version' command, or check the web management interface for the firmware version information
    Affected if The device runs Cisco Email Security Appliance, Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, or Cisco Secure Web Appliance with an AsyncOS version that falls within the affected ranges: < 14.2.1-015; >= 14.3.0, < 14.3.0-023; < 14.2.0-217; >= 14.3.0, < 14.3.0-115; < 12.0.5-011; >= 12.5, < 12.5.4-005; >= 14.0,
  2. Confirm web-based management interface is enabled
    Check the appliance configuration for the web interface status. In the CLI, use 'interfaceconfig' or check 'show interface' to verify the HTTP/HTTPS management listener is active
    Affected if The web-based management interface (HTTP or HTTPS listener) is enabled and accessible
  3. Verify management interface is network accessible
    Review network ACLs, firewall rules, or interface bindings to determine if the management web interface is exposed to network segments outside of trusted internal networks
    Affected if The management interface is reachable from untrusted networks or the internet rather than being restricted to trusted internal IPs or VPN access only

The environment is affected if the device runs a vulnerable AsyncOS version AND the web-based management interface is enabled and accessible.

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 12.0.5-011 / 12.5.4-005 / 14.0.2-012 or later
Fixed in 12.0.5-01112.5.4-00514.0.2-012
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant Cisco security patch/firmware update for this vulnerability. Additionally, restrict management interface access to trusted/internal networks using ACLs or VPN tunnels to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Asyncos 14.2.1-015 or later for 14.2.x releases; Asyncos 14.3.0-023 or later for 14.3.x releases

  1. 1. Identify the exact Asyncos version currently installed on the affected Cisco ESA, Secure Email and Web Manager, or Secure Web Appliance by navigating to the web interface or running 'version' in the CLI.
  2. 2. Based on the current version, upgrade to the appropriate fixed release: If running 14.2.x, upgrade to 14.2.1-015 or later (or 14.2.0-217 or later if below 14.2.0). If running 14.3.x, upgrade to 14.3.0-023 or later (or 14.3.0-115 or later depending on the product).
  3. 3. Download the correct Asyncos software update from the Cisco Software Download center (requires valid service contract).
  4. 4. Review Cisco's upgrade documentation for the specific appliance to ensure proper upgrade procedure.
  5. 5. Before upgrading in production, test the upgrade in a staging environment to verify compatibility with existing configurations.
  6. 6. Schedule a maintenance window and perform the upgrade following Cisco's standard upgrade procedures.
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed and test that the web-based management interface functions correctly.
Caveat Standard Cisco appliance upgrade risks apply - ensure backups and tested rollback procedures; some configuration changes may be needed post-upgrade

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

Fix this in Asyncos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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-2022-20942 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