dbcve.org
Rv016 FirmwareOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2023-20025

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Small Business RV016, RV042, RV042G, and RV082 Routers could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user input within incoming HTTP packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to the web-based management interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass authentication and gain root access on the underlying operating 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 confidence

This is an authentication bypass vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV series routers (RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082). The vulnerability stems from improper validation of user input within incoming HTTP packets, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to send crafted HTTP requests that bypass authentication mechanisms and gain root access to the underlying operating system.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided firmware patch immediately. As a temporary compensating control, restrict access to the web-based management interface to trusted networks or disable remote management if not required.

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
Rv016 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Rv042 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Rv042g FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Rv082 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the device model
    Access the router web interface or CLI and retrieve the hardware model information. In the web UI, this is typically shown on the Status or System Summary page. Via CLI, use 'show version' or 'grep model /var/etc/passwd'.
    Affected if The device model is Cisco RV016, RV042, RV042G, or RV082
  2. Confirm the firmware version
    In the web UI, go to System Summary or Administration > Firmware Upgrade to view the installed firmware version. Via CLI, run 'cat /proc/version' or 'show version'.
    Affected if Any firmware version is installed on an affected Cisco RV series model (all versions are vulnerable)
  3. Verify web-based management interface is enabled
    In the web UI, check Administration > Management Interface or similar. Via CLI on the affected devices, examine the HTTP server configuration: 'grep httpd /etc/configared' or check for processes: 'ps | grep httpd'.
    Affected if The web-based management interface (HTTP/HTTPS) is enabled on the device
  4. Check remote management access configuration
    In the web UI, go to Administration > Remote Management or Security > Access Settings. Verify if Remote Management is enabled and note which IP addresses or ranges are permitted access. Via CLI: 'grep -i remote /etc/configared' or check firewall rules.
    Affected if Remote management is enabled, allowing access from non-local networks (especially WAN-facing interfaces)
  5. Assess network exposure of management interface
    Determine if the router's web management interface is accessible from the WAN/internet. Check router firewall rules and port forwarding settings. From an external network, attempt to reach the router's public IP on ports 80/443 or test firewall rules: 'iptables -L -n' (if accessible via CLI).
    Affected if The web management interface is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet

If the device is a Cisco RV016, RV042, RV042G, or RV082 with web-based management enabled and accessible from untrusted networks, the environment is affected by CVE-2023-20025.

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 vendor-provided firmware patch immediately. As a temporary compensating control, restrict access to the web-based management interface to trusted networks or disable remote management if not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

Replace with currently supported Cisco Small Business router hardware - these models are end-of-life with no firmware updates available

  1. This vulnerability affects Cisco Small Business RV016, RV042, RV042G, and RV082 routers which have reached end-of-life status.
  2. Cisco has not released and will not release firmware updates for these legacy router models.
  3. Replace affected routers with currently supported Cisco Small Business router models (consult Cisco for current recommended replacements).
  4. If immediate replacement is not feasible, implement network-level mitigations such as: restricting web management interface access to trusted IPs only via ACLs, placing routers behind a firewall, disabling remote web management if not required, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts.
Caveat Full hardware replacement required; migrate configuration to new device

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

Fix this in Rv016 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2023-20025 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