Industrial Network DirectorApplication · Cisco
CVE-2023-20038
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 monitoring application of Cisco Industrial Network Director could allow an authenticated, local attacker to access a static secret key used to store both local data and credentials for accessing remote systems. This vulnerability is due to a static key value stored in the application used to encrypt application data and remote credentials. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by gaining local access to the server Cisco Industrial Network Director is installed on. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to decrypt data allowing the attacker to access remote systems monitored by Cisco Industrial Network Director.
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 confidenceA static encryption key is hardcoded in Cisco Industrial Network Director's monitoring application. This key encrypts both local application data and credentials used to access remote monitored systems. An attacker with local server access can retrieve the static key from the application and use it to decrypt stored credentials, enabling unauthorized access to remote systems that Cisco Industrial Network Director monitors.
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
Industrial Network DirectorApplication
< 1.6.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 Cisco Industrial Network Director installationLocate the Cisco Industrial Network Director installation directory on the server, typically found under /opt/cisco/ind or C:\Program Files\Cisco\IND, or use system package queries if availableAffected if The application is installed on the server
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Check installed version numberUse the application's CLI or web interface to retrieve the version number, typically found in the About or System Info section of the management interfaceAffected if The installed version is below 1.6.0 (for example, 1.5.x, 1.4.x, etc.)
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Locate application configuration filesExamine the application configuration directory for XML or properties files that store encryption settings, typically in the conf or config subdirectory of the installation pathAffected if Static encryption key files or configurations exist in the application directory
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Inspect encryption key storageSearch application configuration and properties files for hardcoded encryption keys or key references, using grep or file inspection tools on the installation directoryAffected if A static, non-configurable encryption key is found hardcoded in configuration files or application binaries
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Verify custom key configurationCheck if a custom or external key management system is configured for credential encryption, typically found in security or encryption settings within the application's management interfaceAffected if The application uses the default static key rather than a customer-managed encryption key
You are affected if Cisco Industrial Network Director is installed and the version is below 1.6.0, and the application is using the default hardcoded static encryption key for credential storage.
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 · scoped1.6.0
Apply the Cisco patch or software update for CVE-2023-20038 per Cisco's official security advisory. Until patched, limit physical and local console access to the server hosting Cisco Industrial Network Director and monitor for unauthorized local account usage.
1.6.0
- 1. Identify the current version of Cisco Industrial Network Director installed on the server
- 2. Create a complete backup of the Cisco Industrial Network Director configuration and database
- 3. Download Cisco Industrial Network Director version 1.6.0 or later from the Cisco Software Download center
- 4. Follow Cisco's standard upgrade procedure for Industrial Network Director
- 5. After upgrade, verify the application is running and accessible
- 6. Confirm the version upgrade was successful by checking the installed version in the application UI or CLI
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Industrial Network Director
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20038 — 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-2023-20038 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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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.
- 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