Secure Firewall Management CenterApplication · Cisco
CVE-2023-20041
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 · uneditedMultiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the interface of an affected device. These vulnerabilities are due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by inserting crafted input into various data fields in an affected interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the interface, or access sensitive, browser-based information. In some cases, it is also possible to cause a temporary availability impact to portions of the FMC Dashboard.
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 confidenceStored XSS vulnerabilities in Cisco FMC web-based management interface allow unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into data fields. When users view the compromised data, the scripts execute in their browser context, enabling session hijacking, data theft, or UI manipulation. The vulnerabilities stem from insufficient input validation on multiple data entry points in the interface.
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
Secure Firewall Management CenterApplication
= 6.4.0.16= 6.6.7.1= 7.0.5= 7.1.0.3= 7.2.0= 7.2.0.1= 7.2.1= 7.2.2= 7.2.3= 7.2.3.1CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Cisco FMC versionLog into the FMC web interface and navigate to the Help > About page, or use the CLI and run 'show version' to obtain the installed software versionAffected if The installed version matches any of the following: 6.4.0.16, 6.6.7.1, 7.0.5, 7.1.0.3, 7.2.0, 7.2.0.1, 7.2.1, 7.2.2, 7.2.3, or 7.2.3.1
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Confirm web-based management interface is enabledVerify that the FMC web interface is accessible and operational by attempting to reach the management console URLAffected if The web interface is reachable and actively used for management
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Review data fields for suspicious contentInspect key data entry points in the FMC interface including device names, policy descriptions, object names, and rule annotations for any unexpected HTML, JavaScript, or encoded charactersAffected if Any data fields contain injected script tags, script URLs, or javascript: protocol handlers that were not entered by legitimate administrators
The environment is affected if the FMC version matches one of the listed affected versions AND the web-based management interface is in use, as this is the attack vector for the stored XSS.
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 · scopedApply Cisco's available patches for FMC Software. Until patched, limit FMC web interface exposure and monitor for suspicious user input in management console data fields.
Upgrade to Cisco FMC 7.2.x or later (7.1.1+ contains the fix for CVE-2023-20041)
- 1. Identify the currently installed Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) version using the web interface (System > About > Version) or CLI (show version)
- 2. Confirm the installed version matches one of the affected versions: 6.4.0.16, 6.6.7.1, 7.0.5, or 7.1.0.3
- 3. Back up the FMC configuration before upgrade (System > Backup/Restore)
- 4. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade requires downtime
- 5. Download the fixed FMC software version from Cisco (requires valid CCO account)
- 6. Upload the upgrade package via FMC web interface (System > Updates > Software Updates)
- 7. Install the upgrade and allow the system to reboot
- 8. After reboot, verify the new version is installed and confirm the vulnerability is remediated by checking the Cisco Security Advisory for the fixed version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Secure Firewall Management Center
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-2023-20041 — 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-2023-20041 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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