Application Policy Infrastructure ControllerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2023-20011
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 Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) and Cisco Cloud Network Controller, formerly Cisco Cloud APIC, 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 on an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user of the interface to click a malicious link. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to perform arbitrary actions with the privilege level of the affected user. If the affected user has administrative privileges, these actions could include modifying the system configuration and creating new privileged accounts.
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 confidenceCross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Cisco APIC and Cisco Cloud Network Controller's web-based management interface due to insufficient CSRF protections. An attacker can trick authenticated users into clicking malicious links, allowing arbitrary actions with the victim's privilege level. Administrative users are particularly at risk, as attackers could modify system configuration or create new privileged accounts.
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
Application Policy Infrastructure ControllerApplication
>= 4.2\(6\), < 5.2\(7g\)>= 6.0, < 6.0\(2h\)
Cloud Network ControllerApplication
>= 4.2\(6\), < 25.0\(5\)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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 Cisco APIC or Cloud Network Controller versionLog into the APIC CLI or controller and run 'show version' or use the REST API query 'https://<apic-ip>/api/node/class/fabricNode.json' to retrieve firmware version informationAffected if The installed version falls within >= 4.2(6), < 5.2(7g) OR >= 6.0, < 6.0(2h) for APIC, or >= 4.2(6), < 25.0(5) for Cloud Network Controller
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Confirm the web-based management interface is enabledVerify that the APIC or Cloud Network Controller web UI is accessible by attempting to reach the management interface URL (typically https://<apic-ip>/)Affected if The web management interface is accessible and authentication sessions are active
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Check if CSRF tokens are implemented in session cookiesInspect HTTP headers and cookies when logging into the web management interface. Look for presence of anti-CSRF tokens or SameSite cookie attributes in the sessionAffected if No anti-CSRF tokens are present in requests or SameSite=Strict/Lax cookie attributes are missing from session cookies
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Review authentication session configurationAccess the controller's admin section and examine session timeout and token validation settings via 'acisession' or through the GUI under Admin > AAA > AuthenticationAffected if Session configuration lacks CSRF validation mechanisms or allows prolonged sessions without token re-validation
You are affected if your Cisco APIC version is between 4.2(6) and 5.2(7g) or between 6.0 and 6.0(2h), or your Cloud Network Controller version is between 4.2(6) and 25.0(5), and the web management interface is exposed and lacks CSRF protection.
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 · scoped5.26.025.0
Apply Cisco's available patches for this vulnerability. In the interim, users should avoid clicking untrusted links while authenticated to the management interface. Organizations should consider implementing additional CSRF protections such as anti-CSRF tokens at the application level.
Cisco APIC: 5.2(7g) or later (for 5.x), 6.0(2h) or later (for 6.x); Cisco Cloud Network Controller: 25.0(5) or later
- Back up the current Application Policy Infrastructure Controller or Cloud Network Controller configuration before initiating any upgrade
- Download the fixed software version from Cisco: For APIC 5.x, upgrade to version 5.2(7g) or later; For APIC 6.x, upgrade to version 6.0(2h) or later; For Cloud Network Controller, upgrade to version 25.0(5) or later
- Follow Cisco's official upgrade documentation for APIC or Cloud Network Controller, ensuring proper downtime windows and HA considerations
- After upgrade, verify the system is running the fixed version via the web-based management interface or CLI
- Confirm CSRF protections are now properly implemented by checking that the web interface includes anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations
- Validate that administrative functions work correctly post-upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Application Policy Infrastructure Controller
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $8,960.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20011 — 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-2023-20011 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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